Confirmed with Link: Benning Re-signed 2 years 1.9M (1.8M, 2M)

[nexttothemoon]

I like Benning more than most I think. I think he definitely has top 4 dman written in his future... if not higher.

He's been fed positive zone starts so far... but I think he's done well to stay above water on a relative basis.

A good signing.

The alternative of course would have been to let him go like Oesterle/Marincin and others but at some stage you want to keep some of these dmen that you've developed and see if they can actually be strong contributors for more than just a year or two.

Otherwise it's an endless cycle of always looking to fill defensive depth with new projects and other "grass is greener" characters who don't always turn out either.

 

[McFlyingV]

I like Benning more than most I think. I think he definitely has top 4 dman written in his future... if not higher.

He's been fed positive zone starts so far... but I think he's done well to stay above water on a relative basis.

A good signing.

The alternative of course would have been to let him go like Oesterle/Marincin and others but at some stage you want to keep some of these dmen that you've developed and see if they can actually be strong contributors for more than just a year or two.

Otherwise it's an endless cycle of always looking to fill defensive depth with new projects and other "grass is greener" characters who don't always turn out either.

Despite him not having a great year last year I tend to agree that he could be a middle pairing D. Imo he played at that level his first season, but seemed to struggle last year with his decision making and for whatever reason he looked a step slower last year. I think with a good offseason to gain that extra step back in his skating he can bounce back very strong.

Some of the things I like in his game are his hockey IQ, he's a solid puck mover with decent vision in the offensive zone. He also hits like a truck for a guy his size, and competes hard. If we're looking only at his sample from last season then yeah sure 1.9M cap hit seems like a slight overpay, but I prefer to look at the full sample. He's young having just turned 24, and he's only played 147 NHL games so there is absolutely room to grow. Imo he has the potential to be a Sekera type dman who can play on your 2nd PP and 2nd pairing and chip in 30 points to go along with solid, but not elite defensive play. Getting the 2nd year rather than a 1-year-deal gives the opportunity for this to be a huge value deal in year 2, and potentially a solid deal next year as well.

 

[Burnt Biscuits]

So Chia in his press conference admitted that Benning had a down year and think he can bounce back. Wouldn't the world be a wonderful place if we could all underperform or have down years at our jobs and still get a 76.7% raise.

 

[Jimmi McJenkins]

So Chia in his press conference admitted that Benning had a down year and think he can bounce back. Wouldn't the world be a wonderful place if we could all underperform or have down years at our jobs and still get a 76.7% raise.

No kidding.