First of all, congrats to Vybes, who scored his first goal since the bronze age last night. It was in a losing effort however, as the Jackets dropped their second of a back to back against the Preds. A lot of folks, both fans and media, have started to question Vybes' role on the team. Some people were saying "Trade him for a bag of pucks!".
A note to the people who think Davey should be dumped: we're not a good enough team to be trading away our most consistent offensive threat over the last few seasons. He has led the team in scoring multiple times, and has always shown to be a creative playmaker.
I also think having David on the team next year will allow for a more smooth transition to the pros for Jakub Voracek. The reason being, other than the uncanny similarities between the two, (both are Czechs, both are playmaking wingers, they both have similar personalities) David can pass along valuable information on how to prepare for a game, how to react to different situations you wouldn't encounter in junior, and any other tidbits he could pass along to the kid who is essentially taking over his job.
To go along with his history with the team and his potential mentor status next season with Voracek, Vybes could also be an important part of the offense next year. It's likely that Zherdev and Voracek will be the right wingers on the most productive forward lines next season. That also means those two players will be on the lines that get checked the hardest by the opposition. If Vybes is playing right wing on the third line, he wouldn't see the other team's best checkers, and he would be given the time and space he needs to create plays his linemates can finish off by putting the puck in the net.
Based on those three reasons: his history, being Voracek's mentor next year, and the fact he can still be a valued contributor to the offense, added to the fact that in the past he has said he wants to remain in Columbus for the rest of his career, I think that Vybes is a very important part of this team, regardless of his struggles so far this season. He is a free agent after this year and I think he should be the top priority in terms of in-house re-signings.
Make it happen Howson.
Mike