Quote:
Originally Posted by united
I agree with you on the point of Bennett being 21 and patience being required, however I feel you missed an important piece of context with regard to Backlund:
A 23 year old Backlund put up a monstrous 4 goals and 7 asssists in 41 games while showcasing his skills as an elite shutdown centre.
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Bennett's actually doing pretty OK in this regard I feel. Gulutzan is not shy about giving tough minutes to Bennett. I think Calgary4Life mentioned it.
Gulutzan trusts Bennett more, even now during this icy stretch, than Hartley with Backlund. At first, anyway. I recall Backs playing chauffeur to face-punching enforcers a lot on the 4th line under Bob and even then . And while Bennett hasn't exactly had a wealth of stellar linemates, I'm pretty sure we haven't stapled him to grinders outside of Brouwer.
It may be a more difficult road for Sam, but the patience will wear off.