Last year while happy, I was eyeing McKinnon/drouin/barkov during my slow dance with Monahan, still do, but Bennett is really the girl I wanted to bang this year. Just so weird finally getting the girl after a lifetime as a Flames fan of getting the sloppiest of seconds.
MacKinnon and Barkov sure, Monahan over Droun easily for me. I think when all is said and done, when looking back at the 2014 draft, the class will be MacKinnon, Barkov, Jones and Monahan.
But yeah, feel the same way with Bennett. I've been pumping his tires for a while now and thought there was no way he'd get to number four.
MacKinnon and Barkov sure, Monahan over Droun easily for me. I think when all is said and done, when looking back at the 2014 draft, the class will be MacKinnon, Barkov, Jones and Monahan.
But yeah, feel the same way with Bennett. I've been pumping his tires for a while now and thought there was no way he'd get to number four.
I usually agree with you, but this time around, I must say Drouin will surely be an elite player in the NHL. Notwithstanding other facets of the game, his 'pure skill' or 'hands' are just too dynamic not to become an elite NHL offensive star. In my opinion, and again strictly in terms of pure puck skills, he's one of the best, if not best in that facet of any player drafted since Patrick Kane. Other players may have considerable advantages in various areas of the game, but based on pure skill/talent, Drouin will prove to be an elite NHLer. My intention is not to prove a point later on or anything, I just truly believe in his abilities. Someone with his pure talent will be in the same class as those players you mentioned at the very least.
As for the Bennett pick, I'm on board with all his supporters. So fortunate we were able to land him with the 4th pick.
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After watching that video, I don't know what I want to see more: Bennett and Gaudreau on the same line, leaving everyone else on the ice dumbfounded; or Bennett and Gaudreau on separate lines, keeping the other team dumbfounded for most of the game.
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I read a report from a Frontenacs fan that Bennett's most impressive attribute is his ability to hunt down pucks on the forecheck as well as the backcheck. I think that matches nicely with Gaudreau's own Datsyuk like ability to do so as we saw in the World Championships.
I think its most likely that Bennett plays another year of junior, however he only weighs 7 lbs less than Monahan at the moment. If he has a big push this summer in an attempt to put on some weight you never know. Can't wait to watch him in a Flames jersey!
Last year while happy, I was eyeing McKinnon/drouin/barkov during my slow dance with Monahan, still do, but Bennett is really the girl I wanted to bang this year. Just so weird finally getting the girl after a lifetime as a Flames fan of getting the sloppiest of seconds.
After watching that video, I don't know what I want to see more: Bennett and Gaudreau on the same line, leaving everyone else on the ice dumbfounded; or Bennett and Gaudreau on separate lines, keeping the other team dumbfounded for most of the game.
I have been thinking a lot about this as well, and I still think that I would rather see Monahan with Gaudreau a la Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane. But just imagine the possibilities of a Bennett Baertschi pairing.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by woob
"...harem warfare? like all your wives dressup and go paintballing?"
...I've been saying it for a while now, I think he's the #1 guy from this draft, beyond excited he fell to the Flames. Reminds me a lot of Colorado's Matt Duchenne, not as fast (who is) but he has that highly skilled game along with the desire to play at both ends. Not the biggest guys, but not small either...
Is this comparison far off the mark? I sure don't think so.
He's not as fast as Duchene was, but I think he has better hands and vision at the same age. The numbers would certainly seem to suggest this: Duchene scored at a 1.39 pts/game pace, compared to Bennett's 1.60; both played the same number of games, and Bennett scored +5 goals. Albeit, Duchene was playing behind Cody Hodgson in a second line role in his draft year, but by comparing their on-ice play from their draft year, Bennett really looks like a more dynamic player.
Duchene was 18 yrs, 6 mos when he was drafted, Bennett is 18 yrs, 0 mos.
Duchene was stockier and heavier, although Bennett is a little taller. He was perhaps also a little more NHL ready owing to his slightly later point of development when the 2009 season started.
This is a fantastic pick. Bennett could very realistically be as good a player as Duchene is, and possibly could be even better. How amazing is that?
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Quote:
Originally Posted by woob
"...harem warfare? like all your wives dressup and go paintballing?"
I can see a combo of Bennett and Gaudreau scoring 600goals and 1400points ON THE PENALTY KILL!
In all honesty, when these guys hit their prime, will we ever lose another OVERTIME period again!
I just can't imagine the creative play and the number of 2-on-1s the combo could generate!
The nice thing is that Bennett can go back to Junior, win some awards, play world Juniors, and the Flames will have any number of Reinhart, Granlund, Gaudreau, Arnold, Knight, Wotherspoon or Sieloff in the lineup at any or all points the season and reason for excitement!
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I have been thinking a lot about this as well, and I still think that I would rather see Monahan with Gaudreau a la Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane. But just imagine the possibilities of a Bennett Baertschi pairing.
Toews and Kane play on different lines, except on the powerplay.
But yeah, I also like the idea of Monahan/Gaudreau and Bennett/Baertschi. I think you would want Gaudreau and Bennett on different lines. Both are great at carrying the puck into the offensive zone (Monahan isn't), so to have one of those guys on each of the top two lines would be ideal. And then you could have Backlund on the third line, who is pretty good at gaining the zone himself.
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After watching that video, I don't know what I want to see more: Bennett and Gaudreau on the same line, leaving everyone else on the ice dumbfounded; or Bennett and Gaudreau on separate lines, keeping the other team dumbfounded for most of the game.
I know what you mean! The thing I'm most looking forward to is the Flames' powerplay.
If Hunter Smith turns out to be a scorer, that 1A line could be
Gaudreau - Monahan - Incredible Hulk
Odds are against it at this point, but it's an intriguing possibility, no?
I'm putting Hunter on that line for the future. To play on that line he just has to keep up and create space for the other two, which he's capable of doing.
Listening to Hunter, man he's got a good head on his shoulders. The Flames invited him to development camp after 2013 draft but he turned it down cuz he wanted to hit the gym and prepare for this draft.
