Someone correct me if I'm wrong but ...
If all the defensemen NOT named Bast or Johnson are available we've run the extra skater as a forward.
If one of the defensemen NOT named Bast or Johnson is out we've run with 7 D on the line-up card*. Saturday might have been an exception.
That tells me the coaches are suspect of what they'll get from that 7/8 defender any given day.
The AM1100 "hockey guys" (mainly unlistenable) Saturday mentioned Berry's tough year: mom, his friend Paul Jerrard, and another family health concern involving his other parent. They didn't even get to "trademarks".
More post season means more allowed practices means more reps for underclassmen. That matters. Don't believe me? Look at a particular football program in Cass County ND. They've practiced into January for a decade where most of the rest are done six weeks earlier.