Quote:
Originally Posted by Strange Brew
Seems like you are basing this purely on how he was viewed four years ago. He has twice the amount of games in the NHL than he had in Juniors.
|
I am using his draft position and scouting report to show that he was considered an “exceptional” player at some point in his career. If you want a more recent nhl example of his exceptional status and high upside go see his 4 goal game in the actual NHL.
Yes not many players bust out at his age after struggling in the nhl to start their careers. But some do. And guys with his skill level are more likely to do it than other examples used. There are reasons to think he might be an outlier or an exception, pretty strong reasons IMO.
Personally I think he’s a kid who has all the tools to be a good top two line player or even a star but his confidence is shot from not scoring and GG did him no favours by putting him in easy situations to fail. I think it would be dangerous and silly to completely write him off at this point. Obviously this will be a huge year for him under a new coach but I expect Peters will give him some better opportunities to shine than GG did.
The premise of this thread IMO is ridiculous. We haven’t given Bennett enough time. Held onto him too long? Nope, that shows extreme impatience IMO. Most players are only just making the nhl at his age. Kid needs more time to show what he’s got, regain his confidence and turn the corner. To give up on him now would be silly IMO but I think the whole premise of this thread is silly. You wanted a rebuild? Watching some kids take years to figure it out is one part of that. It doesn’t come instantly for every kid. Some of you have been spoiled by how NHL ready Monahan and Tkachuk were. It’s distorted your expectations for kids of that age. They are exceptions.