Quote:
Originally Posted by GioforPM
GG started Jankowski as soon as Treliving called him up. And what line did you propose starting a rookie centre on? Who did you want to bump down - Monahan or Backlund? Or did you want him on the wing instead of Gaudreau, Frolik (who is attached to Backlund's hip), Ferland, who was scoring like crazy or Tkachuk?
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This is the problem exactly and what points to conflicting philosophies about where the team is at and where they want it to be.
In a developmental season, sure you, disrupt the lineup to get those guys going. Get Bennett that 20 goal season or rotate a guy through the lineup on a game by game basis to see how he handles the minutes. When you just had one of your worst seasons ever and drafted 3 times in the 1st round, you give Monahan those extra minutes if he's having a tough game.
But you don't do that in a season when you're going for broke and just traded all your draft picks!
They needed to win! That means when Bennett takes a bad penalty or otherwise doesn't look like he's in the game, you don't throw him out there to take more penalties and maybe score. You sit him, because you need to stay out of the box and also try to score a goal.
Tkachuk had 3 goals and 8 points in his first 12 games including 2 goals/2 assists in his first 5 games. Ferland had 4 points and gaudreau had 15 points in the first 12 games. 3 of those points for Ferland were goals and he beat the tar out of borowiecki after he gooned Lazar. Frolik had 5 points, +2. Bennett had 0 points in his first 12 games and took 7 minor penalties, leading the team in Penalties per 60 minutes of icetime. Those 12 games represent the month of October.
Why on earth would you consider giving that guy more icetime if you're interested in winning games? Bennett actually played roughly the same minutes as Ferland in October. But Bennett didn't register a point and Ferland had the second highest goals per 60 on the roster.
After 25 games it was even worse, Bennett barely ahead of Hamonic in goals per 60 far and away leader in Penalties Per 60.
By the half way point Ferland was up about a minute and a half on Bennett. Not to be punitive, but to give the team the best chance to win.
The unfortunate part for Bennett is that the organization decided to go for it when they were a couple years removed from arguably their worst franchise finish of all time.
He could've used the Jankowski treatment, but instead got the Gilbert Brule treatment.