Benoit wasn’t great, but anyone saying it was all 100% him and not System/roster/usage/coach isn’t allowed to say that Lindholm wasn’t the reason Lindholm wasn’t very good here at the end either. Gotta pick a side of the argument and stay with it. Lindholm being >>> Benoit as a player is irrelevant to that discussion.
Personally, I think he was significantly misused due to roster composition and coaching, has a useful sheltered bottom pairing skill set that isn’t terribly difficult to find but the replacement for wasn’t adequately addressed in free agency, recognize that we have (far)too many 6-8D on the roster who are blocking the sexy prospects, and understand why he was let go. I also respect the work he did to carve out an NHL roster spot and like to root for that type of player.