Quote:
Originally Posted by Saqe
I'm not a big believer in handing more ice time and better players to play with to a young player without merit. They should earn that ice time based on on-ice performance.
Bad linemates or not, Bennett hasn't shown that. Good players can shine on their own.
|
I'd argue with you over whether or not Ferland "earned it". In fact, one could easily say that after Bennett's rookie season and Tkachuk's arrival - Tkachuk should have played with Backlund while Bennett was promoted to RW with Monahan and Gaudreau. Instead, Gulutzan and the Flames set him up to fail by moving him to centre and playing him with absolute rubbish for an entire season - and then they tried to do it AGAIN the following year after they foolishly put Jankowski back in the AHL for 10 games. I'm sorry, but good organizations just don't do this. Good organizations don't sign crap contracts with bad players like Brouwer and then staple them to the side of your young, promising players. No good team does that to promising prospects.
Young, good developing players don't carry lines by themselves. It doesn't happen. Good teams identify that developing players need good players to play with so that they can develop at the NHL level. Hartley (I don't like Hartley as a whole, and was 100% in support of firing him) at least understood this. Gulutzan did not, and for his part - Treliving absolutely failed this team by signing Brouwer to be that - Brouwer sucked before we gave him that contract, and he's sucked ever since.