Bennett back where he belongs
Shift designed to help young centre find scoring touch
Sam Bennett is back where he belongs. Where he’s played his best hockey as an NHLer. On the wing. Oh sure, it’s just a reprieve from the rigours and pressure of playing centre, where the organization drafted him and wants him to play for the next decade.
However, the switch comes at just the right time for Bennett and the team as the shoes he’ll be filling on the left side just happen to be Johnny Gaudreau’s.
The beauty of the move is it’s not a knee-jerk reaction to Gaudreau’s injury Tuesday, but a decision coach Glen Gulutzan made before that, with an eye on trying to help the youngster find the scoring touch he had in junior and will eventually exhibit in the NHL.
“He’s 20 years old playing centre in the NHL, and he’s a good centreman,” said Gulutzan, who still sees the 6-foot-1, 186-pound youngster as an organizational pillar up the middle.
“But I look at how long Tyler Seguin played wing in Boston. It’s a hard league. Benny was getting tough matchups with guys like (Anze) Kopitar and (Ryan) Getzlaf. You don’t want to bury a young guy. You want him to have success.
“He was battling through it — he’s a real battler — and at the end of the day, we want him to develop as a centre. But sometimes, putting a guy on wing takes a little pressure off. On the wing, he can be a little freer and a little more offensive.”
Locals saw a hint of it in Wednesday’s 2-1 overtime win against Arizona, when Bennett meshed well with Sean Monahan and Troy Brouwer.
The trio generated one-third of the team’s 24 shots and did well to hem the Coyotes in their own zone while creating several good scoring chances.
They played with energy, as Bennett always brings, and they demonstrated some solid early chemistry, giving hope Gaudreau’s absence for the next month or so due to finger surgery can be overcome.
After a month in which the Mikael Backlund, Michael Frolik and Matthew Tkachuk line has been the best and most consistent of the bunch, the Flames might soon have their anointed top line playing as such.
And if Bennett and Monahan can help one another find their games, the team has a much better chance of climbing out of its 7-10-1 hole.
After all, this is the year many figured Bennett would explode offensively.
“It’s a great opportunity, and he’s had success at the wing,” said Gulutzan, well aware Bennett’s memorable four-goal game last year came on the wing, as did his eight goals in a five-outing spree. “He’s got two good linemates and they’ve got to go play. You look at the best young players in the league, it takes them a while to become top guys. They battle the league’s best players from the World Cup and that’s how you get better, but sometimes you back them off, too, and stabilize them with good players.”
With three goals and seven points in 17 games, Bennett hasn’t been happy with his start, which included a benching for his early penchant for taking questionable penalties.
His 13 minors are among league leaders and symbolic of his early frustration.
“Not good — not where I want it to be,” said the Flames’ fourth pick overall in 2014 when asked to assess his season.
“Definitely disappointed in my play — I think I have a lot more to bring to the table. I’m going to take this move as a positive. I’ve had success on the wing, and I’m going to keep trying to grind away and pull up my game.”
For what it’s worth, Bennett sees himself as a natural centre and said he prefers it slightly over wing.
But adds, “it doesn’t really matter to me.”
The last time he played wing full-time was as Connor McDavid’s wildly successful minorhockey linemate, and it’s hoped the relative simplicity of working the wings, as opposed to taking faceoffs and being the first forward back, will help.
“It’s not a demotion at all — it’s just another opportunity to give me another look,” said Bennett, who had 18 goals and 36 points last year, his first full season in the bigs.
“Maybe it will help me generate more. Obviously, it’s a great opportunity for myself. Monny (Monahan) is a hell of a player, so it will be a lot of fun playing with him.”
And should the future 25- to 30-goal scorer start to once again exhibit his scoring touch while on the wing, perhaps the organization will think harder about keeping him there.
Flames fans can only hope.
I’m going to take this move as a positive. I’ve had success on the wing, and I’m going to keep trying to grind away.