I'm not sure that I'd give Petro the bill of "shine" just yet. He got his hat handed to him in the Florida game, and didn't have a great game against the Yotes either. The skill is there, but he has a lot of learning to do...

He's been one of the best defensemen on the ice in his last 4 games. We forget, Brewer has just gotten back too. Say what you want about his +/-, the stat means nothing when your offense doesn't score. As a pinching defenseman, what are you supposed to do when Kariya is shooting back angle shots wide. That's a 2-1 or 3-2 break every time. When the offense starts lighting lamps, then we can talk about +/-. Upon the return of Colaiacovo and Jackman, I better not see Mike Weaver on the ice. I'll take Sydor as the man to step in for a struggling defenseman.

Barring an injury, there is no reason that Pietrangelo shouldn't play 45+ games this season.

He's been one of the best defensemen on the ice in his last 4 games. We forget, Brewer has just gotten back too. Say what you want about his +/-, the stat means nothing when your offense doesn't score. As a pinching defenseman, what are you supposed to do when Kariya is shooting back angle shots wide. That's a 2-1 or 3-2 break every time. When the offense starts lighting lamps, then we can talk about +/-. Upon the return of Colaiacovo and Jackman, I better not see Mike Weaver on the ice. I'll take Sydor as the man to step in for a struggling defenseman.

Barring an injury, there is no reason that Pietrangelo shouldn't play 45+ games this season.

I must be watching a totally different team.

I think EJ has been absolutley awful defensively. He continually gets beat one v one. He gets muscled off the puck and generally just out of position. Now, he DOES have the best first pass out of the zone, when he finally decides to get rid of it... And yes, I do understand that there will be mistakes and I am OK with it... In fact I would love to EJ and PIE all year, mistakes included.
Speaking of Pie, I thought he has been VERY good positionally, and skill wise he is unmatched... whe he gets it going fully, he will be a force!

JMHO...

I'm not sure what some people expect. No, neither player has been consistently excellent, but both have clearly been among the better players on the ice in recent games. Assuming there isn't a drop off in the quality if his play, I can't see how the team could afford to send Petro down.

If it was a matter of skill or strength, then I could see him going, but his issues are coachable. How do you correct these things in juniors, where he can get away with it?

IMHO, Jackman's return has little to no impact on Petro. It should affect Weaver more so, since neither is considered an offensive-defenseman. Given the issues they have had with scoring a goal, I don't see how you can make your lineup even less dangerous offensively. Coliacovo is a different story, but given long-term implications, I think you can make a pretty compelling argument that Petro should play.