I have a philosophical question. How important is animation quality when deciding what to cut?
For example, let's say there's a canon scene that is just an ugly still shot of a character's face talking, and an 'implied filler' shot of the same scene from a different angle (behind the back, pan from far away, etc) that has decent animation. Would you consider using the audio from the canon scene and layering it over the anime-only scene? I know you're strictly against filler, but I'm not sure if I'd call it that since it doesn't waste time, just makes the episode easier on the eyes. Even if the plot is canon, cheap animation is also a form of filler. It's possible to improve both.
A step beyond that would be implied filler in action scenes, extra punches, kicks, flips etc. that can potentially change a fight's dynamic. It's risky, but depending on the discrepancy in animation, splicing in implied filler animation during canon scenes can make a huge difference on the visual impact. It can also improve the pacing, in the sense that interesting things are happening on screen more frequently.
I understand the purist mentality if you would rather not tamper with canon material. However, there are also times when cutting filler is impossible without jarring music cuts. In these cases, where filler is unavoidable, are you okay with 'substitute filler'? Implied filler that is more interesting, better animated, and less obvious would help the pace. If it has to be filler, at least make it enjoyable, right?
This is just my curiosity asking, have you guys tried it in the past, what are your feelings on it?