It's amazing how desperately people are trying to lower their expectations for Bennett.
Send him back to Kingston? play him 12 minutes a night? He is going to get sheltered minutes, but he will be a big time contributor on this team and likely get a lot of looks on the power play.
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Sorry if already posted; Sam talks about last season, scoring his first NHL goal, Burke's "under 40" number rule, the Draft, and having Stajan and Raymond take him under their wing:
Last edited by tvp2003; 07-11-2015 at 06:42 PM.
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Sorry if already posted; Sam talks about last season, scoring his first NHL goal, Burke's "under 40" number rule, the Draft, and having Stajan and Raymond take him under their wing:
I'm gonna homer it up and say he's in the rookie of the year race with that bum up in Edmonton.
Smarts should tell me he'll be around 50 points, but I'm going to go on a ledge here and say he lights it up.
It will largely depend on the opportunity he is given. If McDavid is getting top line minutes and top unit PP and Sam isn't then it will be tough for him to compete. Will also depend who his linemates are. If our top line stays together he's likely at a disadvantage again. It will be interesting to see how Hartley handles the lines this year. Two scoring lines would definitely make this team very dangerous.
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Will also depend who his linemates are. If our top line stays together he's likely at a disadvantage again. It will be interesting to see how Hartley handles the lines this year. Two scoring lines would definitely make this team very dangerous.
Historically, when you have four offensively gifted forwards, the usual thing is to spot them two to a line, and fill out the third position on each line with a defensively responsible player who has enough skill that offensive plays don't die on his stick.
If Hartley takes that approach, I could see him keeping Monahan and Gaudreau together, and then putting Hudler with Bennett so he can mentor him the way he did the other two. Possibly Monahan-Gaudreau-Frolik and Bennett-Hudler-Bouma? People keep talking as if the first line is set in stone, but that really doesn't leave Bennett much in the way of linemates.
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Historically, when you have four offensively gifted forwards, the usual thing is to spot them two to a line, and fill out the third position on each line with a defensively responsible player who has enough skill that offensive plays don't die on his stick.
If Hartley takes that approach, I could see him keeping Monahan and Gaudreau together, and then putting Hudler with Bennett so he can mentor him the way he did the other two. Possibly Monahan-Gaudreau-Frolik and Bennett-Hudler-Bouma? People keep talking as if the first line is set in stone, but that really doesn't leave Bennett much in the way of linemates.
I would suspect that Bennett-Backlund-Hudler is more likely, in the event that Hudler moves down a line.
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I would suspect that Bennett-Backlund-Hudler is more likely, in the event that Hudler moves down a line.
You're probably right. But hey, I figured I would get roasted alive for daring to break up the #1 line. If I also committed the heresy of putting Bennett on the wing, I'd get roasted up one side and down the other!
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If I was running the show, he'd be the 2/3 C, basically interchangeable with Backs as needed. Monahan is clearly the #1, and Staj is rounding out the bottom.
I'd be ecstatic to see 20-30-50, but I think he's going to be closer to 40. Which is also dandy.
Bennett was actually skating in Cole Harbour for a bit with Crosby, Mackinnon, Taveras, Skinner etc. a couple weeks ago. I know someone that was there and asked him how Bennett looked and he said just okay. I'm sure it's tough to look good with those guys as a 19 year old. Glad he's working out with that crew though, can only make him better.
Best way to develop him is exactly the way Monahan was handled. Hartley has proven he can help kickstart young Centres at the NHL level - so I couldn't be any happier with this news. Better to have the likes of Colborne, Jooris, Granlund etc., play out of position rather than a potential franchise centreman.
1. Monahan
2. Backlund
3. Bennett
4. Stajan
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That's excellent about Bennett at center. We're not going to be drafting a prospect as good as him for a very long time, so it would be extremely beneficial if he were a C instead of a LW, especially with Gaudreau having 1LW sewn up. I really hope Monahan-Bennett-Jankowski is the way it plays out eventually.
My number one hope is that he stays healthy. This will be a long season for him and I see him being a key contributor centering line 2 by the end of the year. I am thrilled at the prospect of him playing center all year long.
Probably not good news for Drew Shore but maybe if he shows he is more ready than Bennett, then Bennett starts on the wing. I don't think it's very likely Bennett gets sent down.
I Like Hartleys comments a lot. I don't want us to bump him around C/RW/Lw and end up with Galchenyuk (who is good). I want Hartley to develop a young number 1 C in Sam Bennett (who is hopefully great). Greedily, I think many of us want him to play wing on Backlunds line where we feel he will get the chance to produce the most offence. However, in the best interest of the flames and Bennett, we need to think long term (not a calder) at the Stanley cup. Whatever help us reach that goal sooner, is what is best for Sam Bennett, because I guarantee he is a big part of winning one.
