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Originally Posted by Hot_Flatus
At some point Bennett needs to find a way to make something happen if he's not getting the match-ups as you suggest.
It is not good enough to just have the puck and not give up a ton of chances against anymore. At the very least you could live with it if he was firing shots off left, right and center. It's very obvious in watching good players that are on the verge and I have yet to see that with Sam. He is supposed to be a top prospect and was a lottery pick a few years ago - it's not good enough and the leash has been far too long already if you ask me.
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The point I'm trying to make is there's a big difference between "Bennett's been disappointing for a blue chip prospect," which I agree with, and "Bennett should be healthy scratched / dumped for a pick," which I strongly disagree with.
He deserves criticism, but comments like:
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Maybe press box if point slump continues
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You’d think 4th line or press box is next.
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Bennett has been only constant on 3rd line that is costing Flames games
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the leash has been far too long already
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are hyperbolic. Despite his struggles, Bennett has still been among the 9 best options for our top 9 forwards. Lazar and Jankowski have both put up similarly strong possession numbers and come away with no points while being much more heavily sheltered than Bennett. Brouwer's been a tire fire any time he's been near the top-9. Versteeg's been a turnover machine at 5 on 5. Bennett's potential replacements have all been at least as bad, and he's still at least got some potential to turn it around. He's not actively hurting the team, so what's the downside to giving him more time to figure it out?