Quote:
Originally Posted by Bingo
Absolutely, that's the rub.
I think he took steps this season in driving play, but he certainly didn't in production when push came to shove. His production rate was his second highest in his pro career after his rookie season, so he's taking a step ... but that's not to suggest he's a top six forward. (He was ranked 11th for forwards in points/60 five on five on the team).
So you take that and probably plateau him as a third liner, but have some hope/confusion left to ponder with his generation stats being much higher (3rd in forwards for expected individual goals, 1st for forwards in individual high danger chances).
Is this guy good at creating but bad at finishing? Bad luck? A bit of both?
I think they find a new guy behind Backlund, and let Bennett be the ceterpiece of the third line.
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I think we've seen a lot of cases where the finish is often the last piece to fall in place for developing players. Not that I'm holding out hope for Bennett reaching what we thought he would be when drafted, but optically this was his best year since his rookie season by far. Statistically he's similar to Lindholm's time in Carolina before breaking out this year with the Flames. Hopefully we see the finish start to come through next year.