I kind of feel sorry for Bennett. He's had plenty of time and opportunity to show what he can do, and he's failed. He's progressed in the wrong direction and he has forced Treliving's hand. The GM went out and brought in a number of players that immediately push Bennett down the lineup. Worse, a new coach has come in and views Bennett as just another player who has to earn his time. Piling up against Bennett is the existence of a coach's favorite player (Ryan), and a new player they need to make an immediate decision on (Czarnik) and Bennett is buried. His opportunities to show more took a real kick in the nuts in the off season. The final kicked was young Mr. Dube coming in and forcing his way into the lineup, pushing Bennett onto the 4th line. It's all up hill from here for Sam.
Bennett needs to focus on getting his head right and seizing the opportunities when they arise. Bennett needs to recognize he is bottom of the totem pole right now and needs to ficus on supplanting the player above him. Start by chasing down Dube and showing you are a better option than the rookie. Then focus on pushing Frolik out of the mix on the lines above. Bennett isn't going to get a chance if he doesn't show he is capable of out performing these guys and out working them. The onus is on Bennett to go out there, work his ass off, and be opportunistic and score some goals. If he doesn't do this, the team will be forced to move on.
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