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Originally Posted by Hot_Flatus
Don't forget that it also took standout rookies who were completely healthy 3-5 weeks to start making a consistent impact with the Flames in Monohan and Gaudreau. This was also in October/November as opposed to February/March when players are all dialed in and fighting for playoff positioning.
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By all counts, Bennet will not be playing any hockey until he is
completely healthy, so I'm not entirely sure where you are going with this. Will he need to be a standout to pick up a regular shift? Yes. Whether or not he can remains to be seen, but it seems foolish to simply dismiss this as a possibility out of hand.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Hot_Flatus
Even with the re-injury risk in the equation, the path for Bennett has to be through Kingston and then ADK once the junior season is over.
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"Re-injury risk"? This is a red herring. Again, there WILL BE NO RISK because the Flames will not let him play until the injury is completely healed. By all counts, the shoulder is ALREADY in better shape now than before he had surgery.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Hot_Flatus
It would take something incredibly amazing for a rookie to step in late season prove he can play more than a few shifts game in and game out over seasoned pros for the final 30 games. I really doubt the organization is willing to potentially see Sam play a role of 8-10 minutes a night and healthy scratch for even a few games when he could be leading the charge somewhere else and getting as many games as possible under his belt this year.
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I generally agree with this, except for the belief that the team would be reticent to see Bennett in a limited role or in the press box "even a few games." A few games of low activity is not going to have any detrimental long term effect. Nevertheless, in no way do I see how this in any way conflicts with the notion that he should and will get games in the AHL and with the Flames this spring to demonstrate his readiness before (if?) he is sent back to Kingston.