Quote:
Originally Posted by Geeoff
I really wish I could be as optimistic about Bennett as some people. I really wish I could just blame his stalled development on Troy Brouwer. I'm just not seeing it but I hope I'm wrong.
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I think Glen Gulutzan was also a big part of it, but Bennett isn't perfect either. Guy is a young player who got rotten circumstances from Game 1 of 16/17 Game 11 of the 17/18 season, and then his circumstances only marginally improved thanks to a rookie centre giving him his first half decent linemate in over a year. Looking beyond all of that though - Bennett needed more development time if he wasn't going to be given good circumstances at the NHL level. He can't drive a line by himself, and he should never have been asked to (which is what happened in 16/17 and at the start of 17/18).
Bennett's time as a Flame:
Playoffs Debut - Awesome!
Season 1 - Awesome!
Season 2 - Centre with rubbish linemates in Gulutzan's system - awful.
Season 3 - Centre with rubbish linemates in Gulutzan's system to start, winger with rookie centre - awful, and then inconsistent but moments of strong promise.
Gully got nothing out of anyone beyond Gaudreau and Backlund's lines during his time here, and the Backlund line wasn't even very good in year 2 under Gully. Production from the blue line dropped. Gully did damage to the entire team...I struggle to imagine just how grim the last two years would have been if it weren't for Gaudreau's elite playmaking ability.
2017/2018: 216 GF (27th in the league)
2016/2017: 222 GF (16th in the league)
2015/2016: 229 GF (10th in the league)
...good grief. Is that not a screaming indictment of Gulutzan's system? Top 1/3rd in the league to middle of the pack, to bottom 5. People talk about how the Flames now play the game the right way...so they possessed the puck more of the time, but did less with it all while having a more talented roster? Gulutzan was a bad freaking coach, and more players than not suffered under him and the team suffered because of it.