[News] All-encompassing Bennett trade discussions thread

[motorcrosser]

Ok so bennett starts playing hard, making hits, etc. You do know what comes with that right? Stupid penalties.

[Classic_Sniper]

I can foresee a scenario where Sam Bennett comes out like a bull in a China shop, hitting everything that moves, averaging 5 hits again and be really effective on the forecheck while creating offense from his physical play. But that won’t be sustainable in the regular season, so he’ll probably fall back into his old 4th overall mindset and try to go around defenders instead of through them and that’ll probably lead to turnovers, bad penalties and missed assignments. We could see him up in press box again if his play reverts back to the old ways.

[Sandman]

I'm a Bennett fan, but he's not going to get away with pulling that Junior league stuff under Sutter. He's gotta learn how to use his teammates-you can't beat 4 guys to the net anymore. If Sutter plays him at C, he better not be coasting back into the D zone, praying for a turnover to come the other way, either.

[Classic_Sniper]

Originally Posted by Sandman

I'm a Bennett fan, but he's not going to get away with pulling that Junior league stuff under Sutter. He's gotta learn how to use his teammates-you can't beat 4 guys to the net anymore. If Sutter plays him at C, he better not be coasting back into the D zone, praying for a turnover to come the other way, either.

The problem is Sam Bennett gets severe tunnel vision when he gets the puck, I don’t know how many times I’ve seen him look down for too long, miss an outlet pass, then be easily removed from the puck or end up trying to go one on one vs the guy in front of him, turn it over then hack, whack and hook his way into a bad penalty.

He’s almost too competitive to a fault. Wants to deke the next guy right out of his pants, never wants to lose the puck, never wants to lose a puck battle. If only his physical tools were more polished or he had more awareness, he could probably pull off more plays and actually play in the top 6/PP.

[ComixZone]

I'm going in on my expectations/hopes for Bennett the same as everyone else.

This is a reset. Most of the homegrown players here haven't played for an NHL-quality head coach, so this will be a new experience for them.

All the highs (the playoffs) and the lows (most of the other times) with Bennett are out the window. Ditto with Johnny, Sean, Gio, Backs and Chucky's lackluster playoff performances. Fresh start!

[dino7c]

Originally Posted by Enoch Root

Also, Sutter rewards effort. That should play into Bennett's hand quite well.

I was waiting for the punch line...oh you're serious

[Hot_Flatus]

Originally Posted by ComixZone

I'm going in on my expectations/hopes for Bennett the same as everyone else.

This is a reset. Most of the homegrown players here haven't played for an NHL-quality head coach, so this will be a new experience for them.

All the highs (the playoffs) and the lows (most of the other times) with Bennett are out the window. Ditto with Johnny, Sean, Gio, Backs and Chucky's lackluster playoff performances. Fresh start!

Why haven't any of the previous coaches served as a reset for Benny if this is the case? There's no reason he shouldn't excel if he buys into what Sutter is selling, but the buy in with Bennett is the big problem.

He's a player with no puck skills and a terrible hockey IQ, who still thinks he's a top end player in this league. Until that changes he's worthless unless he's crashing and banging 100% of the time.

[transplant99]

Is Sam even starting tonight?

[Textcritic]

Originally Posted by transplant99

Is Sam even starting tonight?

He was on the fourth line in practice yesterday.

Sent from my SM-G960W using Tapatalk

[mrdonkey]

Not since the legend of Mark Jankowski has there been so much hand-wringing over such a replaceable player.

[ComixZone]

Originally Posted by Hot_Flatus

Why haven't any of the previous coaches served as a reset for Benny if this is the case? There's no reason he shouldn't excel if he buys into what Sutter is selling, but the buy in with Bennett is the big problem.

He's a player with no puck skills and a terrible hockey IQ, who still thinks he's a top end player in this league. Until that changes he's worthless unless he's crashing and banging 100% of the time.

I don’t know, probably because the coaches were incompetent.

Bennett leads the team in scoring and is our best player in the playoffs last season, and then comes in this year and misses a bit of training camp.

Night 1 of the season he gets played on the 4th line between Nordstrom and Lucic while Leivo, Simon, and Dube all got promoted ahead of him.

Why did the season not start with Lucic - Bennett - Dube? Well, because Ward was an idiot who coached this team to being the worst offensive team in the division. It also shows the disconnect between rewarding good performances and punishing bad performances that this team saw under Ward, the man was just a bad head coach.

I’m so happy to have a real head coach at this stage. Hopefully Benny and the other under-performers turn it around with a fresh start.

[powderjunkie]

My rose-coloured hope is that Bennett won't stand out like a bull at a tea party if the rest of the team starts running more like bulls, too.

[CSharp]

I think Bennett's nickname should be SN2 (Special Needs 2). I think Rob Niedermayer was coined Special Needs. Never known a player who actually needs so much special attention! I guess all spotlight will be on SN2 and Sutter for the next little while.

[flames_fan_down_under]

Originally Posted by CSharp

I think Bennett's nickname should be SN2 (Special Needs 2). I think Rob Niedermayer was coined Special Needs. Never known a player who actually needs so much special attention! I guess all spotlight will be on SN2 and Sutter for the next little while.

I was thinking the same thing. You really need to treat Bennett with kid gloves. He needs to have his role explicitly communicated, needs really good line mates, needs those lines to not change, needs a good coach, needs consistent minutes. Do we need a Bennett consultant on this team to ensure that all of his needs are consistently being met?

[ben voyonsdonc]

Bennett's time on the first line that he was gifted (probably a regrettable decision) wasn't anything special. He is what we think he is.

It's not like he is a player with an extremely high ceiling - arguably, Janko's skillset would have given him a higher ceiling than Bennett. At best, I think Sam is probably a 20-25 goal scorer who can bring a spark.

It's not that a 20-25 goal scorer who brings a spark isn't a good addition to a team, it's what kind of hell do we need to go through to get him there? Is it even possible to get him there?

[powderjunkie]

Sam "The Confirmation Bias" Bennett.

People see what they want to see with him, and are far more critical/forgiving of him than other players.



Personally, I've realized that I'm not Pro-Bennett. I'm just anti Anti-Bennett people, so I really want him to do well to make them look stupid. He's a lot of fun to discuss, but I'll never understand the obsession and vitriol for a guy who plays 13 mins a night.

[GranteedEV]

I've always said Bennett is a different player when he's confident.

I have no idea what Darryl Sutter said to drag that out, but that was a confident Bennett out there tonight, for the first time this season.

[GioforPM]

Originally Posted by GranteedEV

I've always said Bennett is a different player when he's confident.

I have no idea what Darryl Sutter said to drag that out, but that was a confident Bennett out there tonight, for the first time this season.

That it’s Sutter helps but I’m betting just a mid-season coach change, which he’s never experienced, gives him the notion things can change for him as well.

[Buck Murdock]

He tried to do a few Gretzky impersonations, and they ended the way they always do. But he did have a better game for him, 4th line energy guy that can chip in is perfect for him.

[devo22]

https://twitter.com/user/status/1370468229567578114