Player Discussion Matt Benning

[Messier11]

Did you say we should dump klefboms contract? One of the dumber posts I’ve seen in awhile

Actually I would dump the player and the contract that is associated with it. But, yeah, same thing.

To each his own, YMMV. Dumb would be a player who continues to make bad pinches and doesn't learn from his mistakes. Dumb would be a guy who can't get a shot on the actual net. Dumb would be a guy who makes half-a**ed blind passes that lead to goals. If he can't play to his capability, I would find it hard to believe that the organization would have him playing through an injury. That would really go against player union rules. So what is left? But if I had the choice to "dump" Klefbom, and Bennig, and maybe someone else to take a run at Karlsson, I think there is a reasonable chance that we could next year say Klef-who?

 

[Tobias Kahun]

Actually I would dump the player and the contract that is associated with it. But, yeah, same thing.

To each his own, YMMV. Dumb would be a player who continues to make bad pinches and doesn't learn from his mistakes. Dumb would be a guy who can't get a shot on the actual net. Dumb would be a guy who makes half-a**ed blind passes that lead to goals. If he can't play to his capability, I would find it hard to believe that the organization would have him playing through an injury. That would really go against player union rules. So what is left? But if I had the choice to "dump" Klefbom, and Bennig, and maybe someone else to take a run at Karlsson, I think there is a reasonable chance that we could next year say Klef-who?

Nurse was making the same mistakes in game 82 as he was game 1 last year, did you want to dump him last year?

 

[nexttothemoon]

I do have to agree and say Nurse has made a HUGE move forward this year. He wasn't even remotely close to this level last season so based on that alone I have some hope that Klefbom can bounce back as well.

 

[Throttlehead]

Klefbom will bounce back, lets not Eberle him too soon.

 

[Stoneman89]

Actually I would dump the player and the contract that is associated with it. But, yeah, same thing.

To each his own, YMMV. Dumb would be a player who continues to make bad pinches and doesn't learn from his mistakes. Dumb would be a guy who can't get a shot on the actual net. Dumb would be a guy who makes half-a**ed blind passes that lead to goals. If he can't play to his capability, I would find it hard to believe that the organization would have him playing through an injury. That would really go against player union rules. So what is left? But if I had the choice to "dump" Klefbom, and Bennig, and maybe someone else to take a run at Karlsson, I think there is a reasonable chance that we could next year say Klef-who?

Perhaps his injury is one that he is able to play with, and will not make things worse, but impacts his game? Not much you can do about it, other than play through it and wait for the summer. It's not like we have a bunch of other viable options waiting to come up and take his place.

 

[LaGu]

Actually I would dump the player and the contract that is associated with it. But, yeah, same thing.

To each his own, YMMV. Dumb would be a player who continues to make bad pinches and doesn't learn from his mistakes. Dumb would be a guy who can't get a shot on the actual net. Dumb would be a guy who makes half-a**ed blind passes that lead to goals. If he can't play to his capability, I would find it hard to believe that the organization would have him playing through an injury. That would really go against player union rules. So what is left? But if I had the choice to "dump" Klefbom, and Bennig, and maybe someone else to take a run at Karlsson, I think there is a reasonable chance that we could next year say Klef-who?

This has already been brought up and discussed in other threads, but seems like it is relevant again (source 630CHED from end of December):

Oscar Klefbom should return from a shoulder injury Friday night when the Edmonton Oilers host the Chicago Blackhawks.
Klefbom only missed three games, but he hasn’t been right all season.

“It’s been a rough season,” Klefbom said on Thursday. “There’s been a lot of medication and tough games.”

Klefbom got an injection in the shoulder last week. He originally started having issues with it in the 2017 playoffs. It limited him physically and took a bite out of his confidence as well.

“It’s pretty tough when you know you’re not 100 per cent,” Klefbom said.

“It can be a bad hit or something that just triggers it a little bit and I get an inflammation, or whatever it is, in the shoulder. It gets very, very sore. Then you start getting on meds. The stomach turns upside down when your [on] meds for a couple of months, too. I’m just happy to feel a lot better now.”

 

[ThePhoenixx]

Benning is improving.

He is playing better with Sekera because he can defer.

He is also picking up a few Sekeraisms.

His numbers are also surprisingly good, but IMO he needs to work on his skating this summer.

 

[Jimmi McJenkins]

Benning is improving.

He is playing better with Sekera because he can defer.

He is also picking up a few Sekeraisms.

His numbers are also surprisingly good, but IMO he needs to work on his skating this summer.

Agreed, I've liked his play over the last stretch, too a very tough hit last night. He's also leading the team in +/- at a +12, good on him for that.

 

[BudBundy]

IMO Benning has the hands and the IQ to be a fringe NHLer. The only reason he has stuck is because he has a RH shot. His problem is that he is smallish and slow. Whenever he plays faster, harder forechecking teams, he gets exposed. Too slow to win races to loose pucks and too slow to escape pressure. He gets caught and turns the puck over either by a strip or a hurried pass that gets picked off. He is too small to box anybody out and too small to effectively pin anybody/knock then down. He gets cycled to death. If he ever acquired another gear, he’d be infinitely more effective as he seems to be able to make the right play and hit the outlet pass when he has time. If he doesnt look noticeably faster after a hard summer of lower body work, I’d dump him and give Bear a try at the bottom RH pair. Just no Bouchard for a full year please.

 

[Spawn]

Of the d-men we've had all year at 5v5 he's got the best GF/60 and the best GA/60 on the team.

Yes it comes in a bottom pairing role. Yes he is sheltered and gets easy minutes. But he's one of the only depth players on the team who actually out performs their defined role.

It's been this way for the majority of his time in the NHL.

The issue with the defense has never been Matt Benning on the bottom pairing. It's that our top 4 consistently gets buried. If Matt Benning gets bumped out of the lineup it needs to be because everyone ahead of him gets bumped down a spot. Not because you want to replace him with an AHLer.

 

[MettleMcOiler]

Good for him that he is improving. His trade value will be higher which is great.

The "issue" with Benning, that is strictly on the player and not any other defencemen I have noticed.

Is he is a momentum changer...for the other team.

I have seen it countless times since he's been here, when he does make a mistake, it literally changes the flow where the oilers are completely dominant and then the opposing team gets back into the game because of a panic play.
It's like the entire team has a mental exasperated sigh " wtf dude" and all of sudden our confident play becomes red alert time.
Yes, you'll notice a bunch of other players making mistakes, and causes more goals against that get the other team back into the game. But I put money down that Benning has been the catalyst of the shift of energy for many opposing teams comebacks.

I'm glad Sekera has settled him down but I for one, am looking forward when our prospects develop to a point (if they haven't already) where he can move down in the pecking order and is expendable for trade.

 

[The Nuge]

Benning is improving.

He is playing better with Sekera because he can defer.

He is also picking up a few Sekeraisms.

His numbers are also surprisingly good, but IMO he needs to work on his skating this summer.

He looked like he’d be a top 4 dman for a long time back when he was playing with Sekera in 16/17. Smart players tend to elevate others, and Sekera is a great partner for him. It only makes sense that he’d “rebound” when they’re paired back up

 

[fireantz]

Benning is not a top 4 guy nor is he showing that he might be. Move him out or down to 7 and replace with Jones or Bear.They get the chance to learn paired with Sekera. Ultimately the goal is to improve the top four without spending $5M plus. Mentoring on the 3rd pair for a season hopefully results in a replacement for Russell (and/or Nurse is he becomes too expensive). Aim for
Klefbom-Larsson
Jones-Bouchard
Sekera-Bear

 

[guymez]

He looked like he’d be a top 4 dman for a long time back when he was playing with Sekera in 16/17. Smart players tend to elevate others, and Sekera is a great partner for him. It only makes sense that he’d “rebound” when they’re paired back up

What really makes sense is that young dmen develop better when they play with a calm vet. Thats part of what makes Sekera so valuable to this team.
Let Benning develop properly which is something this team hasnt done yet and rarely does with a young dman...the sad thing is that this is far too often overlooked by many posters on here and they want players like this traded instead.

BTW...(not necessarily directed at you) what also doesnt make sense are the vacuous comments about trading Klefbom.
Show me a dman that brings more value for their contract than Klefbom does.
Stupid teams make trades like that...so I guess that means he will be traded in the off season.

/rant

 

[Blue Line Turnover]

Is he really a career +25?

 

[Tobias Kahun]

Is he really a career +25?

He has never been a minus player in any of his seasons/post seasons in the NHL.

 

[StoveTopStauffer]

He has never been a minus player in any of his seasons/post seasons in the NHL.

He's a pretty solid bottom pairing option and can move the puck respectably for that role. He's also fallen into that zone where nobody likes him so if he makes an error, no matter how small or rare, he's in the spotlight. I'm guilty of crapping on him lol.

 

[Captain Pilsner]

Seems like another guy that many fans would like to chase out of town early for no reason. He definitely has his warts but is still young, I like a few other posters' suggestions of focusing on improving the D chart to the point he is forced to be traded - rather than shipping him out for the next AHLer to step in and be overwhelmed.

He's got good tools and is not learning as quickly as we would have hoped, sound like any other young dmen our team has seen in the past 10 years? (I'm not saying he has the potential of these other guys, only that we may be rushing to judge when we don't need to)

Edit: TLDR, I'd like to see the organization slow play guys like this more often

 

[Pointteen]

Bumping Because I want to read end of season thoughts.