Quote:
Originally Posted by ComixZone
I still proclaim “look at the circumstances”. If Bennett had continued to play with Backlund, I wonder what we’d be saying about him because we were generally pleased with his rookie season as a winger.
He then got fed to the wolves and burdened with the biggest anchors on this team.
Since being removed from Backlund’s wing, the best player he’s played with has been Jankowski - who is a rookie centre. That’s good, and I’m really excited to see them together going forward. It’s just not something we should or can overlook - no other young players in the league get asked to do what Bennett was asked to do at that age. Young players generally get played with better players which allows them to learn and build their game at the NHL level. Bennett got to centre Troy Brouwer, Kris Versteeg, Alex Chiasson. That’s tough sledding for for anyone (Brouwer makes/made Johnny and Sean ineffective), let alone a 1st year centre.
Bennett also shows up in the playoffs, and has shown us glimpses of being a very good forward. Continued patience is required (not that you’re saying it isn’t), because the positives are there.
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I love Bennett's grit and toughness but I just don't see the skill level to be a big point producer. His competitiveness helped him will points in junior but in the NHL, you need skill to put up points.
I think Flames fans should just settle for a Mike Fisher type of career for Bennett, which really wouldn't be that bad.
If Bennett can score around 40 points every year and play with grit and toughness, he can still be a big contributor to the team. In fact, he'd probably be the next captain of the Flames after Giordano.