nw is still a network carrier
while i realize that the whole point of the 787 is to facilitate ptp service on international routes, one cannot deny that nw is currently tied to hub-and-spoke system. the a330s are also small in comparison with 744s, yet nw would get killed on sea/pdx-nrt or mem-ams, were it not for its capacity to serve connecting pax.
along the same lines, without a west coast hub, nw seemingly has no choice but to use many of its japan slots for intra-asia. adding routes like bos-nrt at the expense of routes like nrt-pvg could kill the whole network thing.
similarly, while i'm happy that ua has taken japan out of the china equation, i don't think nw could afford to do so, given its current route structure.