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Originally Posted by New Era
Gaudreau did play with Troy Brouwer, and did put up points, so kind of a bad comparison.
I think the most important thing for Karlsson was his shooting percentage. He would have scored playing with anyone last season as almost every 4th shot he put on goal found its way into the net. Karlsson reminds me of Joe Colborne in his final year with the Flames when he put up all those points on the back of a 19% shooting percentage. When he regressed back to his norm he was out of the NHL within a year. What is Karlsson going to do when he regresses back to his norm?
We keep hearing this. Sam Bennett also has 241 NHL games under his belt. Normally by time you hit 250 games we have a pretty good idea what type of player your are going to be. Bennett has 9 games to turn it around? Another comparison we hear a lot is Mikael Backlund, and how he bloomed late. While this is true for age, his game count was pretty accurate. Backlund teased after 245 games scoring 41 goals and 101 points, but he ended up with an injury shortened season the following year, playing on 52 games and scoring only 10 goals and 27 points. So he really didn't have his breakout year until 297 games played, although he was trending in the right direction. If we're using Backlund as a measuring stick, Bennett is still a little behind in total points. I would say, that based on the Backlund and games played comparisons, Bennett is going to have to break out this season and put up a 20/50 season. Anything less would be a disappointment based on the standards defined by consensus.
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Backlund also showed an ability to be a strong defensive and possession player since he entered the league. It wasn't until he started to contribute more offensively the perception of him being a great two way player was acknowledged. To your point t the Backlund/Bennett comparison is not a good one.
On the other hand Bennett has shown none of being strong defensively, offensively, or a strong possession player. If you're a subscriber, go back and read Kent Wilsons piece on the athletic, 'Sam Bennett is unlikely to ever become a top-six NHL forward'. Pretty stark look at where Sam is and some compatibles that show the likelihood of Sam developing into an impact/top 6 forward.
Arguing that Sam's development has been stunted by poor linemates or bad coaching is like looking at your kid in high school who is averaging 55% and blaming it on teachers and his classmates while insisting he's on his way to law school......don't hold your breath.