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Old 07-22-2020, 09:50 AM   #98
ComixZone
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Textcritic View Post
What makes you think so?

I for one have long been a proponent of moving Gaudreau this summer in an effort to maximize his value. I am also not convinced that Bennett is a top-six player, and I most definitely do not believe in the conspiracy theories regarding his poor development.

It's ridiculous when posters draw X=Y correlations like this on this site.
Also I don't think very many people are arguing Sam Bennett is a top six forward. I'm not sitting here thinking he should be displacing Mangiapane or anyone else in the top six.

To me, there seems to be a group of people who think Bennett fans are sitting back saying he's a superstar and free of criticism - but I think I'm one of the bigger Bennett fans on here, and that's not the stance I'm taking. Dude's a solid bottom 6 forward who steps up in playoff time - that's a useful player to have.

I do view Bennett's career as an absolute failure of player development though. I haven't been able to find a solid comparison for another promising young player being asked to do what Bennett has been asked to do here. I find other teams provide a much more development-focused strategy where they play young promising players with players notably better than the player in question.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Textcritic View Post
Bennett has looked good there in two intra-squad scrimmages, and he looked alright in two games against marginal teams while Ryan was sidelined. And I don't think Ryan's age has anything at all to do with this decision.

The reason to continue to play Ryan on the third line is because the coaches know it works. They seem to be open to trying things out with Bennett there (so far), but I don't think a couple of intrasquad games are proof of anything significant.
Works to what degree though? Just enough to barely have them qualify for the playoffs? Is that the target? Continued irrelevancy and mediocrity? I see Ryan on the 4th as an opportunity for him to stabilize lesser players, while playing Bennett with Lucic and Dube provides some solid jump and has the make-up of a great playoff line - it's also investment in Bennett during crunch time. Or should we put him on the 4th line, have him be effective, and then only promote him when the series is already lost?

Last edited by ComixZone; 07-22-2020 at 09:53 AM.
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