Quote:
Originally Posted by Jimdon
Problem with Bennett is that every time he has success and fees promoted he changes his game. How many toe drags did he attempt this game after he scored?
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Tunnelvision much?
How many times did he set up a linemate for a dangerous opportunity after he scored this game? How many times did he make generally solid plays in all three zones? In today's game alone he set up both Dube and Backlund with their best attempts of the night. In the last handful of games he's setup guys like Rieder, Jankowski, Backlund, and Lindholm for some their most dangerous attempts of those nights. How many clean breakouts does he help execute in the D zone with precise defensive zone execution with the puck? There's a ton he does not only well but noticably better than much of the team that goes unrewarded.
But sure, fixate on the toedrags as if he's the only player in the world to attempt to go around the opponent and fail (Tkachuk and Lindholm have both been guilty of comparably misguided plays in the last two games alone, and I think a few others such as Hanifin and Gaudreau).
I dunno what Bennett's upside is anymore but I know there's a few Ryan Strome or Max Domi or Dylan Strome or William Karlsson types every year who just have a glass ceiling on their success in their present stops. And I know that regardless of toedrags, Bennett is an on-ice leader to my eyes and a high motor player who sets his linemates up pretty often even if he's not the best pure goalscorer in the world (few top 9 players are elite goalscorers, and Bennett is still pretty near-average in terms of per-minute goal production most years)