Quote:
Originally Posted by Bingo
Why does Bennett need a change of scenery when he's already the team's 6th or 7th best forward?
This isn't a bubble player or a guy that they wish they could send to the minors.
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I think the Flames would be okay with Bennett as a 3rd line energy player and paying him accordingly.
However, Bennett may see himself as a top 6 player, and may feel that he hasn't been given a real opportunity.
I'm not one of those who thinks that Bennett hasn't been given an opportunity. I don't think he's shown enough to be a top 6 guy. He has a lot of work to do, especially in the Summer. I've been harping on this for a few years now. He should be working hard on his skills during the Summer. He has a muffin of a shot, he can't get it off fast enough, he always shoots into a defender and can't thread passes through defenders. He can get to the danger areas, but he can't finish because he doesn't have the skills.
His points in junior appear to be the result of a high competitive nature. He willed his high point totals. The points didn't necessarily come easy for him and at the highest level, you need the top end skills to be a point producer.
It looks like the only thing he's been working on in the Summer seasons is on getting bigger, which I think is a mistake. It's on Bennett as much as it is on the Flames "development team" (which I use very loosely) on recognizing where the deficiencies in his game are. Bennett needs a serious upgrade on shooting skills, a whole Summer of working on that. His penalty shot attempt was pathetic last night. He doesn't have the skills to deke the goalie out and he has a weak release and shot. You can't teach creativity, but you can work on your release and shot.
He has the frame and size to be a power forward, but he lacks shooting skills, which is what all power forwards possess.