Pretty good and fair evaluation of Bennett's situation by Athletic. Most of the points already discussed here.
On his weaknesses:
Quote:
First and foremost, he’s known for taking bad penalties, and frequently taking them in the offensive zone. Over the last two seasons only four forwards have taken more penalties-per-60 than Bennett: Antoine Roussel, Evander Kane, Nick Ritchie and Miles Wood. He doesn’t draw enough penalties himself to compensate for that and ranks in the bottom 30 in penalty differential as a result.
Bennett consistently puts the Flames at a disadvantage on the ice by giving opponents an advantage. It’s frustrating.
While there’s always a chance Bennett could break out, it’s a very small one based on his best statistical comparables. Among past players aged 23-to-25 closest to Bennett’s statistical profile, there are 87 players that are strong matches, and only 12 went on to become top-six forwards. Despite his pedigree, Bennett’s chances of becoming something more look slim.
|
On his strengths:
Quote:
|
Last season, Bennett nearly matched his regular-season totals (eight goals and 12 points in 52 games) with five goals and eight points in 10 playoff games. Overall, Bennett has scored 11 goals and 19 points in 30 postseason contests. When every season’s focus is on winning a Stanley Cup, that is incredibly valuable.
|
In summary, it seems the writer is leaning towards "trade is a better route, but trade is difficult now and there's no urgency for Treliving to do so" and suggesting that giving Bennett more time on the top-6 to boost his stats would be a better strategy overall to raise his trade value and trade after the playoffs. Which kinda makes sense to me as well.
Quote:
|
Giving Bennett better linemates could lead to him being a more impactful player, which could either make him want to stay in Calgary or boost his trade value.
|