It's happening, he's getting much more confident with the puck and he's actively trying to get it back (a real sign of confidence). It's already at the point where I want the puck on his stick (among others obviously) when we need something to happen.
Admittedly I hadn't seen Bennett play much at all before the NHL but I am borderline shocked at how complete he is. You hear about a roller hockey guy and think the worst. But dude comes out with the puck after pretty much every battle on the boards and is responsible in all 3 zones.
Pretty damn happy to have Neal, Bennett and likely Kunitz for a few more years in the top 6. I'll leave Dupuis out of this conversation!
Yeah, his roller hockey history definitely had me worried about what was to come. I worried about his wonky skating that I had seen in camps past...he doesn't have that extra gear, but his skating in no way hinders him around the ice.
I worried about his size. I haven't seen him get out muscled one single time down low or in front. If anything, he's been the one doing the muscling.
I worried about his willingness to engage physically. Again, no reason to worry there. When he ran a defenseman into the boards 2 nights ago and put him down on his back, I had a big geeky smile on my face.
I also worried about his defensive game, because from my experience, guys who do the roller to ice switch are typically all offense. Bennett not only cleans up his end defensively, but he also back checks harder than any winger we have. This is the area I've been most impressed with.
I think what I love about the guy the most...he can do those area passes that catch guys with speed. I remember one of his very first games, he gets the puck on the boards, and Geno is coming back out of the zone. Bennett, rather than passing it right to Geno where he has to slow down for a split second to catch the pass, just throws a simple area pass where Geno gets up to full gallop and just has to pick the puck up. I do believe he and Neal scored on that play. It's very simple things like that which make a huge impact.
The hilarious part is that it's almost as if Bennett listened to what the coaching staff said to Tangradi and then did everything by the book on how they wanted it. Bennett isn't putting up huge points. He's doing very small things that make a difference...things Tangradi could have easily done. That's why Beau hasn't taken a seat. He's contributing even when he's not contributing offensively.
