Quote:
Originally Posted by Demetric
i think Schefeile was thrown out to show it took him to year 4 to really break out as an example of pays to be patient
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Correct.
And to show that progression in the league varies from player to player, and a large part of it has to do with the situations the players are put in (line mates, ice time, responsibility).
We've treated Sam Bennett as a third liner. And he's produced like a third liner. Stay tuned for more shocking news at 11.
If we want to see progression in his stats, he needs more offensive opportunities. That means 2nd line power play at a minimum, competent line mates, and more 5v5 ice time. Does he have to earn it, of course. But that is such a chicken and egg situation as well. There's been plenty of analysis that shows his 5v5 scoring rates are actually pretty good, and if not for some poor shooting statistics and having to drag around the shell of former 20 goal scorer Troy Brouwer, he'd likely be right where we expected him to be.
This isn't Curtis Lazar we're talking about. Bennett has plenty of untapped potential, he just needs to be given a chance to realize it.