Thread by @HockeyStatMiner

I am all for cutting youngsters some slack... and I'm all for reigning in relativity for #NYR having a center crisis on their hands [with the Chytil injury...]

but Brett Howden has 0 goals, as a center, in #NYR's last 21 games despite nearly 5 hours(!) of total icetime.

https://twitter.com/RLuker12/status/1359712229927636992

That's 13:23 avg time on ice

That's 1 (one) primary point (primary assist) in those ~5 hours

Development ASIDE. Draft pedigree WITHSTANDING.

It is truly baffling how Howden has not served even 1 (one) game with Hartford Wolfpack when Buch, Chytil, Kreider, Lindgren, etc did.

When we've seen #NYR 'exile' forwards it's been mostly minimal 4th liners, all told...

Howden has comfortably received 3rd line time

They JUST burned his waivers-exemption status (ability to go to taxi/AHL without waivers) last week

What are we doing? Where do we go from here?

Straight up of all the youngsters to totally and completely avoid AHL duty of any kind... Howden sticks out like a sore thumb. Kakko & Laf have draft pedigree. Lundqvist was an elder Euro prospect who came over and immediately clicked. Etc, etc, etc...

But Howden??

Let's be clear though: through cap/injuried, the team cannot simply recall Barron... so that's out

Remember when i was pleading for NYR to sign Johan Larsson, who signed $1.4m/yr with Coyotes? Yeah...

THIS is why I judge rosters by magnitudes of 23 and not 20. This. Right now.