I think part of the issue with Bennett is how he isn't be rewarded for good performances.
For instance, his line was really good at 5on5 in the playoffs, and had all of Conroy, Treliving and even Ward himself talking about how he needs to be a centre and makes a better centre than a winger, etc., and most specifically, that he WILL get a long look at centre this year.
- Flames start with him on the 4th line centre and very limited minutes.
Comes off a really good game as the third line centre, after having decent production on the top line (better than any of Leivo, Simon and Nordstrom):
- starts the game as 4th line winger
Of course if I am him, I am going to be disappointed and feeling like my future is not with this team, and that is 100% fair.
However, the Lindholm at centre experiment is not something Ward should be scrapping either. Having another bona fide scoring line that can also be defensively responsible would be incredibly huge, and I do think he is right to be patient with it. I have long advocated for Kylington to have gotten the reps down the stretch and in the playoffs over guys like Forbort who then went on to other teams. Kylington could have used that experience and those reps to improve. I argue the same for Lindholm here - I think he has both earned it, and for the most part, he has continued to keep earning his ice-time at centre. No issues here.
Bennett is also obviously not going to displace Monahan, so we don't need to discuss it.
Backlund? While some of you might view him as a 'risk contract' moving forward, no other centre on this team can play Backlund's tough minutes and do that well. Nobody. I look at him as a backbone on this team, and I think Ward looks at him the same way.
However, if I am Ward, I am going to try and keep Bennett happy. Why? Aside from him being a 4th overall pick that the team obviously invested heavily into, he has proven to be a very good 3rd line centre that gives this team a great look. He is also one of the few heavy players on this team.
If the Lindholm experiment fizzles-out, it would be huge for the team to have someone like Bennett just step in as a centre. Move Backlund up to the 2nd line centre, Bennett at 3rd, and you are still fairly strong at centre.
For the "Backlund is old and a contract risk" crowd - well, having Bennett that can come in and be a competent 3rd line centre backfilling for Backlund's departure is also huge for this team.
Outside of this, Bennett has been the best producer on the top line. Much like I think Kylington could have used those reps, Bennett can use those reps on the top line and figure out if he can start developing chemistry on that line rather than try and stick a bunch of bargain-bin UFA players should be slotted on the top line.
I personally think that Leivo has been looking better in this games for the most part - more confident at holding onto the puck and making better plays.
I don't hate Simon at all on the top line - he gets the puck and is able to make a pass to Gaudreau or Monahan, and he helps get the puck off the boards. He doesn't possess much in the way of offensive skill to speak of - which is NOT good at all - but in all other aspects I have found that he fits that line decently enough.
Bennett has some offensive ability to his game. He can make better plays. He can capitalize on chances better. It also seems like he is developing chemistry - Bingo shows that the underlying metrics for that line have been improving. Why not just keep him there and give him the reps as things are looking like they are actually improving? It keeps him more contented for now instead of having to trade him, which keeps the Flames' options more open when it comes to Lindholm and Backlund. It just makes more sense to me anyway.
But yeah, if I am Bennett and I have good games, and then get demoted, of course I am going to be upset.
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