The third line has been shit all season. Log jam in the top six, sure. Top 9? No. There are pretty much 5 guys that could be scratched every night for their horseshit play this season.
If those guys were guys like TT who had one dimension to their game, you would have a point. The players I mentioned are hardly that. All of them fit in on the 3rd/4th line. If you're going to dress Carcillo, you might as well dress Mashinter instead. He's a better version of Carcillo, who can actually fight, and play without the stupidity. Some of them are probably better than Smith, who has been a zero most of the season. All of them play with grit... What's the harm in bringing up a guy like McNeil, Ross, Danault, or Mashinter, and sending a message to Shaw/Bickell/Smith? There's no accountability, because regardless of how bad you play, you stay in the lineup. You look around the league and guys get healthy scratched constantly for poor play and to send them a message. The Hawks have only done it...once. With Smith.
Then again, this team has been cap fucked all season because of Stan's poor decisions, so they have hardly any flexibility when it comes to the roster. They've been carrying 8 D pretty much all season, right? What the fuck is the point of having Erixson, Cumiskey, Rundblad, and Rozsival ALL on the roster? Why were all those useless assholes even brought in this season when you have D prospects that need a look?