Quote:
Originally Posted by Textcritic
Your comparisons:
I remember very clearly how these players played, and in all the time I have watched Bennett there has not been anything approaching the skillsets these guys exhibited even years before they each broke out offensively. If there were glimmers of high-end offensive skill in his game, then I might agree with you. However, for several years now Bennett has not shown any hints at all of untapped potential scoring acumen. It's just not there.
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Beyond you being undoutedly correct with your anecdotal watching of Bertuzzi and Iginla in comparison to Bennett, the satistical argument also makes no sense for comparison.
Bertuzzi was a .5 ppg contributor in his rookie season, had a couple of down years, then was a consistent .5ppg producer through injuries until the '99 season (his 6th in the league.) Also all of this was in the middle of the dead puck era.
Iginla put up 50 points and 20+ goals in his rookie season (largely alone) had a small sophomore slump where he still put up ~.5ppg, and then was at PPG by his 5th season in the league. The 6th season was his 52 goal campaign.
This year is Bennett's 6th Season with the team (if we don't count his 1 game stint. Wow, time flies...)
Bennett's best season was his rookie season, which was very respectable. He put up 18 goals and had almost .5 ppg. He has been on a steep decline since, topping out at 27 points (three straight seasons right around that mark) and putting up an absolutely abysmal -57. This is by far the worst on our team in this period, and probably is one of the worst in the league. I will look into this and confirm. EDIT: He is 20th worst in the league since he entered. BTW we should never trade for Ristolainen and Severson lol.
This season, Iginla and Bertuzzi would both be PPG players while having shown consistent progression through the NHL's toughest era to score in. Bennett has played in some of the highest offensive seasons of the last 2 decades, and can't generate anything. Before you bring up linemate quality, just try and remember who Iginla played with his entire career.