Ohhhh so Konecnys hockey IQ isn't as good, but benching him will make it better? Damn, Hakstol really is an amazing coach!
Benching players to quickly improve hockey IQ... I guess other teams never tried that.
Also, could one of the Hakstol whiteknights explain what exactly can be taught by watching the game as a healthy scratch (while inferior players are on the ice) that can't by studying video with a coach? Otherwise the common sense answer would be that benching a player does nothing unless it's a discipline or character issue.
As always, I love the illogical bashing of any good player Hakstol has scratched or complained about and how it contrasts the turd polishing of any trash player Hakstol loves. The agenda couldn't possibly be more clear. Everything is an effort to defend Hakstol. Everything.
I think you sort of hit on the issue with TK and Ghost last year but you lost me on the last paragraph. I also think most benchings of high skill players is due to discipline and character issues. I think thats who happened last year with Ghost and TK in different ways. I think Ghost was basically ignoring what Hak had repeatedly wanted him to do and was borderline insubordinate and Hak benched him. I would have too. He put him back in and there seemed to be kind of a compromise toward the end of the year.
I think TK has awesome skill and i love watching him but i would specifically watch him at the games and he had no idea where he was supposed to be and what he was supposed to do and was just freewheeling. I think Hak tried different things and couldn't figure out how to get to him and benched him. Then he put him in the black hole (aka 4th line) so you can't really look at his scoring to say whether he got to him or not. I still think TK is undisciplined and could use more tough love to make him eventually become the all star he should be given his talent.