Should Bennett get a crack at the Top 6? (Or give up...?)

[vodeni]

Beau is playing the best hockey, I never knew he is a checking monster, he can create, he can produce, I would rather see him with Sid than Geno, the only thing is I remember them not lighting it up (probably irrelevant now anyways) so move him up NOW.
The problem keeping him with Sid is Horny is playing the right side too, unless move him to the RW, or keep Kunitz with Sid (which is more detrimental to that line than anything else)

so both BB and Horny will be 1 and 2 RW, we need two LW trade for them. No one else on this team should fill that spot. move Kunitz down to third line where he will fast fade in obscurity.

In the meant ime play Megna - Sid - Horny; and Downie - Geno - BB; Kunitz - Sutter Spaling; and Comeau -Goc - and anyone but Adams or Sill with trade move Megna and Comeau to fourth and slide Downie to third (all of this if we can get two top six players for our d-man (one top Letang/Marting, and one super prospect harrington/Pouliot)

ALL IN ALL WE SHOULD BE IN GOOD SHAPE WITHOUT INJURIES AND WITH AT LEAST ONE LEGIT SECOND WHEEL FOR EITHER 87 OR 71

 

[jmelm]

Other: yes, he absolutely should, but I would give him 5-10 games to get back into peak shape & form before promoting him to the 1st line. Let him get up to that level, and also let him earn it with his play. It doesn't take a genius to see that there is a spot in the top 6 if he's playing well. I'm sure he can see that and will be heavily motivated.

 

[66-30-33]

Why not? our top line got broken up when they showed good chemistry to fix our 2nd line, let's ruin the 3rd line's chemistry to fix the 2nd line. Now we roll with 4 lines with no chemistry!!!

 

[Shockmaster]

Why not? our top line got broken up when they showed good chemistry to fix our 2nd line, let's ruin the 3rd line's chemistry to fix the 2nd line. Now we roll with 4 lines with no chemistry!!!

Except the third line was doing just fine before Bennett came back.

 

[member 51464]

Kunitz-Crosby-Horny
Megna-Malkin-BB

Crosby gets the best winger and worst winger. Malkin gets the middle 2. And, before everyone jumps all over me, if Kunitz is going to play the way he has going forward, then I'd take Megna's speed and rawness over him for sure.

 

[cygnus47]

Yes, absolutely. If our top lines were firing I'd be fine with him staying with Sutts, but it kills two birds with one stone and gives us the best opportunity to win and balance our lineup.

 

[billybudd]

Only if Sutter moves up with him, imo.

 

[WVP]

It doesn't take a genius to see that there is a spot in the top 6 if he's playing well. I'm sure he can see that and will be heavily motivated.

Actually, he probably sees a bunch of top 6 spots that should be open but that he's glued to Sutter on the 3rd line. So maybe not the same motivation.

We'll see what they come up with, as Johnston said the lines would be evaluated.

 

[PensPlz]

No. He works very well with Sutter, not saying he wouldn't work better with Sid/Geno, but I would hate to see Sutter revert to what we was doing last year with who he was playing with at this time.

Also, Bennett to the top 6 would be a crumb to someone that is starving. I feel like putting him up there is just another stall tactic in acquiring someone for Sid.

 

[Fordy]

No. He works very well with Sutter, not saying he wouldn't work better with Sid/Geno, but I would hate to see Sutter revert to what we was doing last year with who he was playing with at this time.

Also, Bennett to the top 6 would be a crumb to someone that is starving. I feel like putting him up there is just another stall tactic in acquiring someone for Sid.

this is an anti-bennett post. the decision on what to do with bennett should not depend on brandon sutter, or even crosby and malkin. it should not matter that the third line has been great all season without him, but for your information, it has. for three games he's been the best player on the ice. that player needs to get a certain amount of ice time and he isn't going to get it on the third line while blake comeau and nick spaling play 5 extra shifts. it's a waste of this team's already sparse talent

if you really think bennett is a crumb then give them the crumb. it'll fail, won't it? right now they've got dust. give them a crumb at least

 

[MrBurghundy]

Who's success is most important to the long term success of this team? The 2 generational centers, or Brandon freaking Sutter.

 

[systemsgo]

Yes.

Sutter was doing just fine before Bennett came back.

No matter how good your star players are, you have to try to put them into positions to succeed. And your top 2 lines should always comprise of the best players, be it LW/C/RW.

 

[Dipsy Doodle]

If not, we might as well just say "**** it" and put Kapanen on the other side of Sutter next year too.

Kunitz - Crosby - Dupuis
Comeau - Malkin - Hornqvist
Kapanen - Sutter - Bennett

Marvelous.

 

[ProgOg]

If not, we might as well just say "**** it" and put Kapanen on the other side of Sutter next year too.

Kunitz - Crosby - Dupuis
Comeau - Malkin - Hornqvist
Kapanen - Sutter - Bennett

Marvelous.

Give Adams a new contract, and bump Bennett+Hornqvist down. Penguins would have the best bottom 6 in the league!

 

[Speaking Moistly]

If not, we might as well just say "**** it" and put Kapanen on the other side of Sutter next year too.

Kunitz - Crosby - Dupuis
Comeau - Malkin - Hornqvist
Kapanen - Sutter - Bennett

Marvelous.

Nah, Dupuis is probably done. What that line needs is a resilient player with defensive skills for days.

Kunitz - Crosby - Adams
Glass - Malkin - Hornqvist
Kapanen - Sutter - Bennett
Sill - Spaling - Comeau

Delightful.

 

[MrBurghundy]

Nah, Dupuis is probably done. What that line needs is a resilient player with defensive skills for days.

Kunitz - Crosby - Adams
Glass - Malkin - Hornqvist
Kapanen - Sutter - Bennett
Sill - Spaling - Comeau

Delightful.

Really though, why couldn't that work? I mean Crosby and Malkin get paid all that money. They need to be able to score no matter what, and elevate their linemates in the process. If they don't, they suck and are lazy good for nothings just mailing it in.

 

[BlindWillyMcHurt]

Yeah. Plus look at all that magical "depth."

I've been told that's how you win Cups. You take great pains to make sure your third line is absolutely as badass as your team can't afford it to be.

 

[NMK11]

IF Kunitz wasn't playing like ass and IF we had already made a trade for another legitimate top 6 winger and IF Spaling or Downie or whomever showed they were capable third wheels in the top 6 then I'd be ok with Bennett staying with Sutter. A whole lot of IFs, none of which are true, so seems like it should be a no-brainer.

 

[Ogrezilla]

Its clear to me that MJ really does believe in his idea of duos for each line. He isn't putting Sutter paramount to Sid and Geno; they still have who MJ considers our top wings. But MJ clearly sees Sutter's 1st wing as a priority over Sid or Geno's 2nd wing. In theory, I like the idea of duos and then shuffling the complementary 3rd wheels as needed. If Kunitz was playing like a legitimate 1st line winger and we had better complements, I would like this setup a lot. But he's not, and we don't. Kunitz is good enough to be a 2B on his line with another legit top 6 player on the other wing, but not to be the go-to guy on his line with a 3rd liner on the other wing.

If MJ knows for sure that we are adding a forward or two to play with Sid and Geno, I am fine with him keeping Bennett with Sutter. Its the best spot for him assuming everything else can come together in the top 6. But with our current roster, our best line-up has Bennett in the top 6 on the other side of Kunitz.

 

[Speaking Moistly]

Its clear to me that MJ really does believe in his idea of duos for each line. He isn't putting Sutter paramount to Sid and Geno; they still have who MJ considers our top wings. But MJ clearly sees Sutter's 1st wing as a priority over Sid or Geno's 2nd wing. In theory, I like the idea of duos and then shuffling the complementary 3rd wheels as needed. If Kunitz was playing like a legitimate 1st line winger and we had better complements, I would like this setup a lot. But he's not, and we don't. Kunitz is good enough to be a 2B on his line with another legit top 6 player on the other wing, but not to be the go-to guy on his line with a 3rd liner on the other wing.

If MJ knows for sure that we are adding a forward or two to play with Sid and Geno, I am fine with him keeping Bennett with Sutter. Its the best spot for him assuming everything else can come together in the top 6. But with our current roster, our best line-up has Bennett in the top 6 on the other side of Kunitz.

The thing is he's broken up his top 6 duos. Maybe he's only been happy with the Sutter-Bennett pairing, but he's already ditched the original idea in the top 6.

 

[StaalForOne]

They're just using Bennett to inflate Sutter's numbers and trade value.

 

[Ogrezilla]

The thing is he's broken up his top 6 duos. Maybe he's only been happy with the Sutter-Bennett pairing, but he's already ditched the original idea in the top 6.

He changed the duos, but he has not ditched the idea of duos. Actually, he started the year without the Duos because Kunitz and Horny were together. He's gone back to it, and now he's just swapped them.

The question is, do we think its even possible for Bennett to jump Kunitz on the dept chart?

 

[billybudd]

He changed the duos, but he has not ditched the idea of duos. Actually, he started the year without the Duos because Kunitz and Horny were together. He's gone back to it, and now he's just swapped them.

The question is, do we think its even possible for Bennett to jump Kunitz on the dept chart?

Kunitz with Sutter strikes me as a pair that would add up to a lot less than the sum of its parts.

Best we can hope for is that playing with 71 triggers some sort of muscle memory from back before he spent weeks at a time floating.

 

[Speaking Moistly]

He changed the duos, but he has not ditched the idea of duos. Actually, he started the year without the Duos because Kunitz and Horny were together. He's gone back to it, and now he's just swapped them.

The question is, do we think its even possible for Bennett to jump Kunitz on the dept chart?

In swapping the duos he's shown that he wasn't overly attached to his original duos, I thought it was interesting and a relief, tbh. Even KCH happening shows he's not that attached to it, and with the 3rd line he won't change anything on it now.

I don't know if Bennett can, but I waffle on him. In an ideal world he gets more time on the 3rd line to develop and that would be best for him; in reality we have no wingers and I don't think it will do much damage, maybe no damage. The question then becomes what do you do with Kunitz?

 

[MrBurghundy]

I'd personally be looking to trade Kunitz. I just don't know what you'll get for him and we don't have anything to replace him with.