I think San Jose is an extremely talented team, especially on the defensive end, which would be why it was difficult for individuals to stand out last night on offence. The most impressive part of last night's game wasn't any particular player (though the defence were great across the board), but the team system. I'm loving the shift.
Peters is disinterested in giving Bennett a chance up the lineup. We could have had a killer second line/second PP of something like Czarnik-Bennett-Neal(+Backlund) but his stubborn love for Ryan is going to cost Neal a big season. I guess the directive from above is to not let Bennett break out in a contract year. I don't think Ryan has the tenacity/hardness on the puck/two-way game to play with Neal, who is a floater. Ryan should be on the Jankowski line with Dube/Mangiapane IMO.
Oh boy, this is how you're going to take this narrative? Ryan has been a standout in the pre-season, impressing a lot of us who expected a Kris Versteeg-level player out of him. From what we've seen out of Peters, if Ryan doesn't justify his position, a change will be made. Changes have been made often during the pre-season.
I'm guessing this isn't the last time we're going to hear of this story, though.
But you're right. I think Peters is genuinely disinterested in giving Bennett a chance up in the lineup until he's given a reason. Just like I think he's disinterested in giving Hathaway a chance up in the lineup, or Lazar. The only people who can change that mentality are the players themselves, but showing that they can help the team in that role.
