Short answer, no.
Long answer, no because Bennett has all the raw tools you could ever hope for, and then some.
Highly skilled? Check
Fast? Check
High IQ? Check (regardless of what someone stated)
Decently sized? Check (he isn't huge, but he is filling into his frame really nicely)
He also has 'intangibles'. What are these? Stuff like a non-stop motor. He looks slow at times because you can see he is trying to think of where he should be positioned. People forget that he isn't REALLY a natural center. AFAIK, Bennett played center his draft year in Junior, and I believe that was it. However, I like what I see from him already.
Bennett is a gamer. I loved Reinhart in his draft year because of his 'elite IQ'. However, I absolutely love how fast and gritty Bennett is. When he finishes putting on weight (and he has done well so far in this regard), and gets a bit of confidence, you will see it all come together for him.
Bennett and Gaudreau are the only two forwards on this team that can create offence at high speed. He is not afraid to mix it up physically with guys. He is super aggressive on the forecheck (which may end up pushing him to the wing), and though we haven't seen much of it, kid will drop the gloves and is a pretty tough kid (just ask Laughton in junior who was 2 years older).
Things haven't come together for him, but I would bet they do. He has pretty much everything you want in a player. He just has to gain confidence and find consistency in his game. Once he does, this thread is going to look pretty damn stupid.
|