No more excuses for Bennett; it's time for him to take the next step.
I agree, if he's ever going to take the next step, it has to be this year. By the time you hit your fifth season, you pretty much are what you are. That's about when Backlund showed his true form.
__________________ It's only game. Why you heff to be mad?
Williams did not rule out playing for someone other than the Hurricanes, but also said he had built a house and did not want to move his family again. He has played for the Los Angeles Kings, Washington Capitals and Hurricanes in the past five seasons and has missed three games in that time.
Bennett has settled in as a winger at this point but I thought he made big undercover strides last season in the small details of the game, and especially in the discipline department reducing his non-offsetting penalties by 30%. While he still isn't the best forechecker (unless locking on to blowup a target), he at least isn't getting puck fixated and chasing into bad spots, or worse yet doing so and taking a poor penalty too.
I want to see him get a trial on his off-wing, perhaps even on the second line. A bit tougher in his own end, where he isn't great anyway, but off-wing will allow him to drive the net more which he does like nobody else on the team can.
He's also a good pro and absolutely loved by his teammates. The only real criticism is he could do a bit more in the gym (no, not related to the pull-up bull#### which is meaningless), but that's being awfully picky.
No-brainer to keep Bennett around for a long time, and I suspect his salary will be at least doubled two years from now after two seasons where he's cemented himself as a 50-point winger who can bang when the Flames re-sign him again.
__________________ "I think the eye test is still good, but analytics can sure give you confirmation: what you see...is that what you really believe?" Scotty Bowman, 0 NHL games played
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Bennett has settled in as a winger at this point but I thought he made big undercover strides last season in the small details of the game, and especially in the discipline department reducing his non-offsetting penalties by 30%. While he still isn't the best forechecker (unless locking on to blowup a target), he at least isn't getting puck fixated and chasing into bad spots, or worse yet doing so and taking a poor penalty too.
I want to see him get a trial on his off-wing, perhaps even on the second line. A bit tougher in his own end, where he isn't great anyway, but off-wing will allow him to drive the net more which he does like nobody else on the team can.
He's also a good pro and absolutely loved by his teammates. The only real criticism is he could do a bit more in the gym (no, not related to the pull-up bull#### which is meaningless), but that's being awfully picky.
No-brainer to keep Bennett around for a long time, and I suspect his salary will be at least doubled two years from now after two seasons where he's cemented himself as a 50-point winger who can bang when the Flames re-sign him again.
I want to see him play either with Gaudreau and Monahan or Gaudreau and Lindholm.
Big NO to Williams . Have we not learned from these types of signings in the past?
It's time for the likes of Dube and Phillips to get a shot ....no more washed up rode hard and put away wet please.
Glad Sam is back....he's got something this team needs as his give a Phluck meter is high.
Have you looked at Williams’ numbers from last season? Regardless, it probably doesn’t matter at all because it sounds like it’s the Hurricanes again or retirement.
Have you looked at Williams’ numbers from last season? Regardless, it probably doesn’t matter at all because it sounds like it’s the Hurricanes again or retirement.
I've looked at Jagr's numbers before he signed with us....
