I think you haven't been here enough to express that many on here believe that reasonable hypothesis. I think most believe DW has somehow already evaluated and made decisions regarding young talent.
The minor consensus seems to be as always regarding young talent...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xCUwQIn3GrU
I am not sure I understand what you're trying to say here. Would you mind rewording that, because your syntax kinda confused me a bit. No offense.
What I was alluding to was how DW has openly expressed a desire to move away from the "older core players" in favor of allowing his younger ones to take on more leadership. They let boyle go, moved Stuart, have created speculation as to whether or not Jumbo and patty will be here for long, etc. if that weren't the case, they likely would have targeted veteran free agents (you know, ones more valuable than Scott).
As such, it's reasonable to assume that he is expecting the younger players to be taking on heavier roles -- which would suggest that the culture of the team is shifting to a "younger core."
Because there is no true sample size for how these players would handle increased leadership (most of these players in the "younger core" -- save for Cooch, pavs and MEV -- have fewer than three years of exp at the NHL level), it is safe to say that this season will be used to evaluate how these younger players handle that kind of consistent playing time and responsibility. Players like Hertl, Nieto, Wingels, Braun, Stalock and rookie prospects (presumably Mueller, Tennyson, Hamilton and/or Goldobin if any crack the roster) will be under the microscope.
So, my question is: In this transitional period for the franchise, how will Nieto produce with higher expectations and more opportunity?