Quote:
Originally Posted by EldrickOnIce
^ so what's the answer, bigr?
Play Bennett more minutes the Monahan? Than Backlund?
Do you want to see him on the wing instead?
If Bennet is playing center, it's got to be 3rd line right now.
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Well you need to find a balance between player development and winning.
Bennett is definitely the 3rd best option the Flames have at center right now, so he won't be able to get the prime minutes if the Flames want to win. Obviously, you'd want to give him some PP time, but he hasn't exactly shown that he's one of the best options for that either. But if he's to be kept in the NHL he needs to play top 6 minutes with top 6 line mates with favorable deployment alongside the top 4 defensemen and some PP and PK time. I don't support Bennett on the wing either, so this would mean Backlund would have to be pushed down the roster and made to play with the Brouwers and Chiassons of the world.
Maaaaaaybe, and it would be drastic and never before seen and I cannot imagine the chirps that Bennett, Flames management, and Flames fans would receive but maaaaaaybe you could send Bennett to be the number 1 center in Stockton and have Jankowski replace him in Calgary. It would look stupid since he's already played 150 games in the NHL but Ottawa should have done the same thing to Lazar this season. Dal Cole and Virtanen, the two players picked right after him, will be in the AHL as well next season. Have Bennett dominate and build his confidence and allow him to be a scorer instead of a third line checker. If he has a great year, then you try to trade Backlund for assets, and if he doesn't and looks like a bust then I guess you just accept it. Bennett absolutely, 100%, indisputably has the abilities and proven track record of performance to be a top 6 and likely top line scorer in this league and anything short of that should be a scathing indictment of the Flames development system.