What kind of mnessage does this send to a player that hasnt earned his right, yet?

I doubt he will stay there the whole night, probably just a few shifts. I think its a pretty good move, he is trying to get him the quality chances to score and get his confidence up. If it doesn't work then it could be bad, playing with 2 of the best players on the team and not getting a result. I think it is good for him to experience it. He needs to get his confidence up a bit and this could help.