This doesn't make sense for two reasons:
1) Wasn't it just 5 days ago Torts said they wanted offensive skill in a forward call up? That's why they picked Foudy, right? Don't TFW and Thurkauf have better skill than Lilja?
2) Lilja has played 27 games in the NHL. In that time, while he's been on the ice, the team has given up the most shot attempts per minute, the 2nd-most unblocked shot attempts per minute, and the most shots on goal per minute - all at 5v5. So there's literally no evidence to suggest he's even good at "4th line defense." Just the opposite, in fact. He's bad both offensively and defensively. Basically the worst on the team in both aspects.
After 27 games, the risk/reward of a TFW or Thurkauf is more worthwhile than playing a guy who has been terrible when with the big club.
Just more questionable roster management from this front office.
How much of those numbers are directly on him. In those 27 games he does have 21 blocked shots. Riley Nash, who is usually on a line with him has just 10 more blocked shots in 26 more games. His GF/60 is 2.2 which is 15th on the team, and his GA/60 is 1.2 which is 25th on the team. Milano, who only averages 2 more minutes of ice time per game, has a 2.8 GA/60. Yeah, you don't want to give up a lot of shot attempts, but when he is on the ice, the team scores more goals than they give up. All those numbers you cite you are basically blaming him for, when there are four other guys on the ice. How many of these shot attempts came from the player that was his responsibility? How many of those shot attempts were blocked or altered by his positioning, and missed the net? How many of the shots on goal were from the guy he was on, and how many of those were high quality shots? Looking at those advanced numbers I don't see any of that. Obviously the coaches know something about it, because if he were as bad as you are saying, they would call up somebody else. As far as TFW and Thurkauf go, at the AHL level, Lilja is just as skilled offensively. Defensively, right now, I would go Thurkauf, Lilja, then TFW. Bringing up these guys is a crap shoot though, none of the guys from Cleveland has lit up the NHL this year. They have been decent, but nothing great.
