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Originally Posted by cannon7
IMO, Leivo and Simon could not be more "meh" thus far this season.
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Yes, they have. Was it sort of expected? New team. New city. New players to get to know. New systems to get used to. No training camp to learn these things. So should we expect there to be an adjustment period? Yes. Were we all hoping for more? Yes, but the immediate benefit is understandable.
Conversely, what about Bennett? How has he been so far this season? Outside of a third period in a game where we got our heads caved in, he's been horrible. And this is from a player who knows the players, knows the systems, knows the city, knows the situation he's in and how he needs to perform. How has he been? Complete #### to be honest. The aura of those playoff games has faded away and now people are finally starting to figure out the real Sam Bennett, the one predicted to return, is back.
I mean, if it were not a Milan Lucic deflection of a patented Sam Bennett flutterball from the point, Bennett would have nothing to show for this season except for his green jacket lead in the clubhouse. That is all on Sam Bennett and no one else. Bennett needs to focus on the things he can control, and that is his own play. If he comes in and plays like he did in the post-season we aren't having this conversation in any shape or form.
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Could Bennett be more disciplined? Sure. But given his tenacious playing style, penalties are going to happen no matter what. Tkachuk takes a ton of dumb penalties, too, but he doesn't get benched or buried on the fourth line immediately after taking one. Bennett on the other hand is on such a short leash it is no wonder he plays like he's squeezing the stick so tight knowing that the next mistake is going to bury him with the coaches.
Not saying Bennett hasn't had a hand in his own fate, too. But there's clear favoritism with this team and Bennett is on the wrong end of it.
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The problem with Bennett is we know he can be tenacious. He shows that for short bursts, the latest being last post-season. But he displays that with so little consistency. He is pedestrian for the most part, going unnoticeable on most nights. That's the problem. That's why coaches don't trust him. They don't know what they are going to get from shift-to-shift let alone game-to-game or week-to-week. That's on Sam Bennett. No one else. Time to move on from him once and for all.