Why does it have to be a message? Reinhart and Nurse are both rookies with a chance to make the team, clearly this is just giving each an opportunity with the "big" group. Same I'd think with Slepyshev and Pitlick. Those are guys who could conceivably make the roster in a press box or bottom line type role or be first call ups, give them each a chance with the big group.
Not everything has some hidden message, sometimes it's just giving each person a chance.
But, but, but, we have to analyze every tidbit of minutiae. Don't we.
haha
jk aside I think some of the problem with this stuff is that for the actual very young turks involved such things do send messages and create confusion. Theres so much competition in a camp or in preseason nearly every little bit of anything is analyzed in this.
Nowhere is this more evident than in Pro football in which several former players have written books indicating in detail every little bit of hints about whether they are making the club or not. So much so that every down in scrimmage is something the player thinks about. I dropped that ball, I'm done, I missed that tackle, kill me now, I blew coverage, I'm doomed.
Almost every player biography detailing the players first days in the bigs has comments like this that indicate clearly that many things like this do rattle the players who are constantly assessing where they fit.
