[Classic_Sniper]

Originally Posted by ComixZone

Gulutzan didn’t change his lines.

Bennett got his chance on the top line for 2 games, produced multiple points in one of them, then got demoted when Stewart got picked up on waivers...because reasons!

Brodie was complete garbage for 2 years because Gulutzan didn’t change his pairings.

Sorry, but no one was going to produce with the linemates Bennett had. The way Bennett was set-up in years 2 and 3 is not how you set young players up for any level of success. Hanging it entirely on him his ridiculous. The Flames hired a coach who couldn’t coach. Lineups weren’t working and the team wasn’t winning, and yet the lines were static. That’s just idiotic coaching. He’s no longer a head coach in this league, and I think we could argue he’s not a coach in the NHL any more.

Sometimes coaches are that bad.

I’m not excusing Bennett entirely, he struggled with his circumstances and couldn’t rise above them. Good organizations simply don’t put young players in the position the Flames put Bennett in. The last two years the Flames organization failed the players just as much if not more than the players failed the organization.

Sam Bennett had way more than 2 games on the top line. When Monahan went down with the injury, he was the primary beneficiary and was unable to find the requisite chemistry with Gaudreau. The organization and coaches did not have it out for Sam Bennett like you might think. They played Sam Bennett a lot more than he deserved in my opinion and it’s the part of the reason why the team failed in the last half of the season. The top 2 lines did their jobs but the bottom 6 was disastrous and it’s the same reason why the GM basically blew it up this summer.
Blaming linemates is also a cop out and I loathe that excuse the most. Sam Bennett was drafted to be a difference maker and a driver of play. Playing against other 3rd lines, you’d think he should’ve dominated other 3rd lines, but he struggled outside of December. At the end of the day, a 4th liner in Micheal Ferland beat out Sam Bennett out of the top line spot. It was there for the taking for anyone, but Ferland earned that spot as the chemistry was undeniable.
It’s really up to Bennett right now, he can continue to play hard and effectively and push up the line up. Or if his game drops off, he might end up on the 4th line again. Time will only tell, but based on the way everything seems to be shaping up and with all the rumors, I get the feeling this is the last season to prove it.