[PGT] The Curse!!!! IT"S OVER!!!! SHUTOUT!!! WIN! WIN! WIN!

[ForeverFlameFan]

Originally Posted by ComixZone

As is, there’s no problem with Sam Bennett. He’s a 3rd line centre at a very young age on a playoff team. Due to circumstances, his development will take a bit longer.

Any expectations fans have for him are irrelevant/perhaps unrealistic. You’re not going produce big numbers offensively as a 3rd line centre. If can continue to develop his defensive game, and he’s well ahead of where Backlund was at the same age, then it’s a good thing.

Fan expectations are silly.

Yep totally agree. And I hate to say it but I think the only way we see top 6 potential in Bennett is if one of Backlund or Monahan get injured. I don't want that to happen obviously, but if it does, it'll give us an opportunity to take a look at Bennett and Jankowski with higher roles.

[H2SO4(aq)]

Anyone have a clip of tkachuk pissing off getzlaf? Didnt catch that part of the game.

[heep223]

Originally Posted by GranteedEV

To me, the clear issue is confidence. And I don't know how to rebuild it for Sam as he barely gets ozone touches most games for a plethora of reasons. I don't see how a guy who's had different stretches basically playing franchise player type hockey could look so broken but I don't know how to fix it either without taking a chance on him with real PP time and some extended ES minutes. If Sam's ever going to break out it will probably be when Monahan gets injured for any extended period.. as-is I'm not sure he's got the mental makeup to succeed offensively as what effectively amounts to as a traditional 3C with what I have noticed to be a short leash to try high-skilled plays under Gulutzan. We've all seen the vision, the efficient zone entries, the two-way acumen, the hands, and the shot - but a player without confidence can't execute any of that. a year ago he was trying fancy plays walking the blue line or dangling guys out of their skates but now he's simplified ad nauseum... two extremes with no middle ground.

Hopefully Jagr can be the first step in building Bennett back up to the player we've seen before. This isn't a lack of hockey sense or innate ability holding him back, it's the belief in himself to complete plays without being benched or having the puck end up in his own net. He's not a guy playing on pure instinct right now, he's too worried about screwing up that he second guesses everything he does.

Agree with this 100%. Plays are dying on his stick. For whatever reason, his confidence is completely shot and the result is a bad case of trampoline stick.

[Freddy]

I think Monahan has 1st line centre finishing ability without elite speed/tempo, while Bennett has the ability to dominate 1st line matchups with elite speed/ puck control but lacks elite finishing ability. Not saying both guys don't have flashes of the whole package, but that's how I see them now to start this season.

Going forward and thinking about the identity of the Flames playing style, if I was GM I stay patient with Bennett because his ability to drive plays, disrupt opposition, and bring a heavier playoff suited game is going to bring more sustained success. But I'm just a fan. I think a centre core of Monahan, Bennett, and Jankowski is going give us all the tools down the middle to make us contenders.

[Calgary4LIfe]

I, for one, am hugely optimistic when I hear "Gulutzan buried Bennett". Frick, who the heck is complaining here? Rewind to this time last year, and the last thing you could do was trust Bennett in the defensive zone. That's a HUGE leap forward for him developmentally.

Great, defensive acumen at NHL-level. Check.

His offence will start coming around now. High-skilled players regularly bust not because they can't produce, but because they can't produce under difficult circumstances while not being defensively Oileresque. Glad that Gulutzan trusts Bennett enough to bury him. That, to me, is hugely encouraging.

[N-E-B]

Anyone remember how bad Scheifele looked in Winnipeg his first few years? He was baaaaaad. I think Bennett's development might take a similar path.

[Caboose]

Originally Posted by Captaincanada80

Did you turn 20 by chance?

I did not. I'd apologize for breaking tradition, but I'm hoping we can let this one slide.

[GranteedEV]

Originally Posted by Calgary4LIfe

Rewind to this time last year, and the last thing you could do was trust Bennett in the defensive zone. That's a HUGE leap forward for him developmentally.

Disagree. He was a tad overaggressive in the O-zone, and not unlike Monahan had to adjust to the stark changes in Gulutzan's system a bit overall, but you could trust Bennett in the defensive zone even last year - he wasn't clueless and he made a lot of fine plays even then. Obviously both guys were behind a guy like Backlund who already played under Sutter in a more defensive system, or Stajan, but that was the extent of it.

[JFK]

THIS time last year, Calgary4Life said THIS time last year. Key word in that sentence. No, Bennett could not be trusted for defensive zone starts this time (three games into the season) last season.

[GioforPM]

Major League playing on HiFi channel now. Jobu rules.

[GranteedEV]

Originally Posted by JFK

THIS time last year, Calgary4Life said THIS time last year. Key word in that sentence. No, Bennett could not be trusted for defensive zone starts this time (three games into the season) last season.

Is he better now than this time last year? Yeah but to say he was a liability is exaggeration. I'll defer to his former coach before this time last year:

Originally Posted by Bob Hartley, April 2016

"He took more draws in the defensive zone than Sean Monahan did in his first year and Monahan played center all year. I really protected Monahan against 3rd/4th liners. Sammy it's a different situation and I felt that we wanted him to get his feet wet and go. I matched him against some pretty solid players and Sammy did very well"

source (~28:00 forward):
http://www.sportsnet.ca/960/the-big-...ason-big-show/

That was based on the ~25 games Bennett played center at the end of 2015-16.

And if the eye test of a former NHL coach is not enough, here's a post I made, ironically exactly three games into last season:

Originally Posted by GranteedEV

On a line level, the Tkachuk-Bennett-Brouwer line has been the Calgary Flames' most effective line as a result:



They have ...(offense stuff)... they've had the highest expected save percentage (xFSV% / defense), the lowest expected goals against (xGA60 / defense) and as a result of all these things, are the only line on our team close to even in high danger scoring chances (SCF%) and the only line actually expected to score more goals than they allow based on the shots being taken when they are on the ice (xGF%).

TL;DR:

Maybe they're not a top line yet, but they have not been deployed like one. The way they have been deployed, they have been successful in terms of creating chances AND preventing them. Goals will follow. They will make mistakes, but nothing so far suggests they are a line that needs to be broken up or that Bennett is unsuccessful at center. If Bennett is "getting caught" so often then why are his defensive metrics the BEST on the Calgary Flames?

Bennett wasn't getting heavy defensive zone starts a year ago, but he wasn't embarrassing himself in the defensive zone either based on eye test (Hartley) or actual recorded events in the defensive zone.

[JerryUnderscore]

Sam has played all of 162 NHL games. Last year he struggled with points as he was learning how to play centre. This year I expect he will put up a lot more points as the responsibilities of centre become second nature to him.

He's young but he's going to be just fine.

[PsYcNeT]

I apologize if this appears as a thread necro, but apparently the entire FOI forum timewalled back 6 weeks.