He and Sobotka are the worst players on this team from the regulars who play a lot and Housley likes them both.
I guess you could forgive the Sobotka love given or center shortage but his Scandella usage is more baffling considering there are better options available and he doesnt get scratched no matter how many giveaways and bad plays he makes.
I think it goes much further than just performance on the ice with those two guys. I know that cliche phrases like 'the locker room' or 'earning your minutes' are thrown around without much context, but I think these principles apply here.
For example, it's entirely possible, and even likely, that Marco & Vlad take practice seriously, hold others accountable, prepare their body's correctly on game day, put time in studying film, spend time with the training staff before and after games, take their diet seriously, etc. etc. etc. So even if their performance lags behind some of the kids on the ice, they are going to get the edge because of their work ethic outside of the games. Is Vlad playing correctly within the construct of the system? I think more often than not he is likely where he's supposed to be but his physical talent limits his effectiveness. Whereas his replacement may be more effective from a talent perspective, but his discipline and consistency within the confines of the system are still lacking.
I think they went through this before with guys like Gionta & Gorges, but unfortunately the kids vastly outnumbered the vets, so the overall message was lost on the kids at the time. It would be really nice if we could surround the kids with some vets that aren't completely shot. That was supposed to be KO, Sheary, Berglund, Sobotka, Hutton, and Scandella, among others.
I know there is a lot of speculation here, but I'm merely trying to point out that the construct of a pro locker room is often much more complex than 'play the best guys' and 'winning cures all culture problems'.