Yes, I have also noticed improvement in his game. The biggest thing for me is that he's always going into traffic, is going to the net and really being a net-front presence, and working hard.
He's got such high natural skills which are never going to go away. He's skilled enough that I truly believe we can slowly build him up from a 4th line guy. Give him a chance to become an effective PKer, defensive forward and momentum guy. Just solid, two way play. After a year or two of that, with some chances to move up here and there in the event of injuries, he should have a very decent chance to work his way up to a RWer who might just be a fit on one of the top 2 lines (as a 3rd wheel, of course), or a guy who could play meaningful minutes and contribute offensively on the 3rd line.
In short, there's enough upside there for me to want to keep him around and give him a longer leash. He could be a real late bloomer. Ideally, however, and regardless of how well he plays or not over the next little while, he would be best served by being a top-line guy in WBS for the balance of this season & playoffs.