[GranteedEV]

Backlund is actually a very strong player. His balance and body position is actually one of his best attributes.

Backlund is also 27 years old and in the prime of his career...

It's not even just his physical attributes, Backlund has extremely high hockey iq at the center position. Something I haven't seen yet from Sam Bennett.

And yet, when Mikael Backlund was Sam Bennett's age, he had exactly one NHL game on his resume. I doubt you are comparing apples-to-apples here. You are comparing apples-to-oranges. Something like "using your linemates" is something that comes with experience, even McDavid is guilty of trying to do too much on his own but gets away with it due to being the fastest skater in the league.

Originally Posted by Classic_Sniper

What opposition is he matched up against though? He definitely is no Jonathan Toews, if the numbers are saying that then they're wrong.

You said "His line still gets hemmed in their own zone too often for my liking."

The numbers don't say "he is Jonathan Toews". They say that against the competition he faces and with the teammates he plays with (who are no Hossa and Saad and Keith and Hjalmarsson themselves by the way), he sees roughly the same amount of rubber directed towards his goaltender as Jonathan Toews. A CA60 of 57 is a respectable number for a veteran NHLer, but it's more than respectable for a 20 year old center.

And again, the quality of teammate part can't be understated. Bennett has spent more ice time with Deryk Engelland than any other skater on this team. Deryk Engelland is reknowned for getting hemmed in. Put two and two together. Quality of Competition is fluid, one shift you might be beating up on a third liner and next shift you're up against Kopitar or Kesler. Quality of Teammate however is consistent because the coach pretty much dictates it.

Anything you supposedly gain from easier competition is usually a wash because you are playing with lesser players. How many simple cycle plays die on Brouwer's stick lately for instance? Replace him with a 60 year old Jagr and suddenly the whole line has the puck a whole lot more and is hemmed in a whole lot less. How many dump and chases become dump and skate backwardses because Versteeg loss a board battle?

He looks like a deer in the headlights when I've seen him play against the opposition's top lines. He'll end up taking bad penalties or be severely out classed.

That's your opinion, but it's certainly not what I see. And, based on how he seems to rave about the kid, it's not how the coach sees it.

Sam's skillset just screams winger to me. He can use his strong puck pursuit abilities on the forecheck and can be physical on opposing defenders. I think he'd be able to pick up more speed as a winger and he'd be able to get his shot off more often as well. I just don't think we're utilizing his strengths at center.

To each his own. I see a center with the potential to have a complete skillset the league has not seen since Peter Forsberg. But I guess people just want to turn him into Dustin Brown or something.

If he was bigger or faster or stronger he might be able mask some of his issues, but isn't the case.

And? Are you implying he has plateaued physically at age 20?