Of course Bennett 'doesn't play this way in the regular season' - no player can. We all witnessed Ferland demolish the Canucks that year - I argue that he hit harder than Bennett, but the hit counts weren't actually much different at all. However, how long did Ferland last? He limped into the 2nd round and was out in a game or two. No player can consistently play this physical every game. It sure hurts to get hit, but it also hurts to hit, especially when players start being very aware of you on the ice and start protecting themselves by putting up their sticks or side-stepping you and making you get more boards than body.
I don't WANT Bennett to play this physical in the regular season outside of the games when things get really chippy and the Flames need to send a response. I want Bennett to play with this calibre of players (or better!) and have him contribute more on the scoreboard. He is capable of it. Is he a bona fide 1st line superstar franchise centre? No, probably not, but he shouldn't be toiling on the 4th line and playing 10 minutes with scrubs either.
Now I do think that Bennett has the burden of responsibility for how things turned out for him in Calgary thus far, but I also have seen him continuously have a rather short leash on him too. Hartley was a good coach for him. Gulutzan wasn't. Peters wasn't. I am not sure if Ward is or not yet - there is no coach in the entire NHL that would be limiting Bennett's minutes right now as he has so obviously been the most consistently impactful player on Calgary's roster (the heroes thus far have been him, Dube, Lucic, Brodie and Talbot, IMO).
Next season, I want him to be put into a situation to succeed. Give him solid linemates. Give him decent minutes and opportunity (especially PP time, and he was good on the PK before too from what I remember). Don't be so quick to bench him. Give him consistent linemates to build chemistry with. Not every prospect coming into the league develops the same way.
Flames invested a 4th overall pick in Bennett. I think they should invest a little bit more by giving him a bit more opportunity WITH patience, and seeing what happens. This team will be so much stronger and dangerous if he can be part of a line that chips in offensively more regularly in the regular season as well as the playoffs.
As for 'selling high' on him - sure, I can see that argument. However, if I am Treliving, I would realize that my success is directly tied to the team's success and how far they go in the playoffs. Anyone think he has been even half the GM that Fletcher was? Win a cup or two, and maybe you start having that conversation. You don't even start having that conversation with '2nd overall in the NHL but out in the first round' type of success.
If I am Treviling, I am trying to keep all my players that perform well in the playoffs, especially when they have a history of doing so. If I want to make a trade to better my team, I am using anyone that regularly doesn't perform well in the playoffs, and trying to acquire players that do - or players without too much history in the playoffs even. Sure, you get a Ryan O'Reilly without too much success suddenly winning the conn-smythe, but every year you see the same players around the NHL having strong playoffs every season, and you also see the same players being disappointing.
If I am Treliving (or Ward), I do not want to trade away my playoff performers. I want to keep them, I want to help them in return as much as possible by putting them in a position to succeed, I want to surround them with quality players as well that hopefully can also produce when it matters most, and I want to eliminate as much fat from the roster as possible that disappoint. There is no way that I am 'selling high' on Bennett. I want to find another Bennett or two from different teams as I try to win the cup, not a President's Trophy that nobody is going to really care about.
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