Quote:
Originally Posted by Drunk Uncle
I agree that clip doesn't look great on Bennett and his coverage is soft at best. However, I wouldn't let Nesterov off the hook. He has nobody covered for that whole clip. At the start of the clip you see Valimaki trying to direct Nesterov but Nesterov doesn't get on the same page. At the end you see Bennett attempt to switch off with Nesterov to cover the third guy high and Nesterov again doesn't pick it up or Bennett provides zero communication... or both. In that instant both Nesterov and Bennett are covering no one. It's an oversimplification to say that is only a Bennett issue but it definitely is a great example of how our d-zone still sucks.
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Nesterov is a 6-7 bubble defenceman. Bennett is a high draft pick who wants to play C and in a prominent role.
People sure forget about defence when it comes to lines and positions. All the coaches who put Bennett on wing knew he wanted to play C and maybe played it better than wing offensively. But offensively players move around anyway. Defensively they have specific jobs.