Question 3: In the game against the Arizona Coyotes, Sam Bennett played on a line with Johnny Gaudreau and Micheal Ferland and totally excelled (had three assists). Do you think that if he’s paired with good teammates, he can finally have his breakout season this year?
Jonathan Boulanger
I do. Bennett is a good player, he just needs a confidence boost and to find a constant work ethic which I think he will have this year. I believe this will be a breakout year and turning point for his career, turning him into a star. I’ve always had faith in Bennett and I think many others who didn’t will after this year.
Ian Gustafson
I think if he is paired with good linemates he could have a good year but I have to see him do it against NHL talent. This is preseason after all. I’m not taking anything away from Bennett but it is hard to say after only a few games in. He definitely has the potential and the talent to do so. Maybe it’s the beard?
Tom Oppolzer
Yes. That’s always been the idea around Bennett. He’s an excellent player but saddling him with players like Troy Brouwer and Alex Chiasson was always going to be hard on him. You can’t expect a young centre to excel in the NHL with 4th line talent. If Bennett is given a chance with real linemates this season I think we’ll see him really break out and put up 45-50 points.
Related Story: Who will be playing on Sam Bennett's wing?
Benjamin Prokopy
No. The question implies that Bennett’s success will be dependent on the players he’s on a line with. Rather, I think Sam Bennett’s success this year will be determined by one person: Sam Bennett. He was great against the Coyotes, but not because of who he played with. He had a tremendous positional game and stayed true to “his” game by working to get the puck and create the play for his linemates. Of course, it never hurts when the guy you’re feeding the puck to is Johnny Gaudreau. Irrespective, if Bennett keeps doing what he’s doing, good things will happen.
Dan Raicevich
I think regardless where he will play this year, he will break out. He could emerge as the best third line centre in hockey.
Ramina Shlah
I don’t think he’ll have a complete breakout-70-point-season, but I agree with Tomas. We could potentially see him hit 45-50 points. That’s if he’s not paired with Troy Brouwer. If he is, then all hope is lost. I definitely see where Ben is coming from, but at the end of the day, if you have an anchor as a linemate, it’ll be hard to excel no matter what. We saw that with TJ Brodie and Dennis Wideman, and right when Wideman was benched when Michael Stone was brought in, everything drastically improved for not only the team but for Brodie’s personal stats as well.
We saw how well Bennett played with Kris Versteeg in the playoffs as well, and if he can keep that momentum when the season starts and isn’t paired with Brouwer, I think he’ll be great.