Hard to disagree with all the points New Era made except "Sam Bennett is not a good hockey player". He is good enough to be in the NHL and excel in the playoffs, that meets my definition of "good hockey player". Sam Bennett did not and will not reach his original potential of Top 6 scoring center. However I do believe he has some upside to become a better player in regards to discipline, special teams and making smart simple plays. If he can do that his versatility will make him a huge (and inexpensive) asset to the team. I am not confident he will get better though. He has had 6 seasons, still takes stupid penalties, still doesn't pass, still tries toe drags that never work, still makes moves at the line to put his line mates offside, still tries to drive the net with no lane and get easily picked off and when he does pass its an absolute rock nowhere near where it should be. I don't see improvement year over year and its not due to lack of opportunity. If a 3rd round pick did all the stupid stuff Bennett does he would have been out of the league after their first or second year, or never got a sniff at all. Luckily Bennett has the size, speed and tenacity to be somewhat effective in a bottom 6 role in the regular season and very effective in the playoffs.
|