Line Combos: Is there a logical reason...

[Ugene Magic]

Just my opinion, but as much as Sid needs a sniper, what he really needs is a guy out there who can make a play one on one more than once in the bluest of moons, be it with skill, speed, or some combination thereof.

Simple to defend Sid: Check him tight, collapse around him, and make Kunitz or Dupuis make a play, which they don't against teams that play a disciplined defensive game.

I'm not sure that a sniper necessarily makes that play either (which, as an aside, is why Neal and Malkin together are inconsistent without a puck retriever on the other wing). But, someone who can beat a guy one on one can make the other team pay for cheating so much in covering Sid.

Bennett sniping would be a luxury. What Bennett can do as a one on one player makes exploring him out there with Sid and Kunitz worthwhile, just as what he can do as a one on one battler for the puck makes exploring him out there with Geno and Neal worthwhile.

Now what you're saying is Kunitz must have the ability of, Neal, for it to be a luxury for Bennett to not have it. The whole point is someone has to finish consistently. I'm not even going to say Kunitz needs to score Neals 40 goal total of a couple seasons ago, but he'd have to be in the 30, 30+ range. Kunitz had his best year with Two snipers and fed off that to 26 goals. Bennett has what? 3 in 36 games as a Pen. We have very lofty plans set in place for this guy. Probably a bit too soon for it.

26/50/40 There's just no way you're getting that out of Kunitz, Sid, Bennett.

 

[mpp9]

35/55/20 is most certainly possible with that trio. Kunitz is tied for the lead on this team in goals. I see no reason why he can't up his career average playing with the best player in the world and another above average playmaker.

 

[Waffle Fries]

Now what you're saying is Kunitz must have the ability of, Neal, for it to be a luxury for Bennett to not have it. The whole point is someone has to finish consistently. I'm not even going to say Kunitz needs to score Neals 40 goal total of a couple seasons ago, but he'd have to be in the 30, 30+ range. Kunitz had his best year with Two snipers and fed off that to 26 goals. Bennett has what? 3 in 36 games as a Pen. We have very lofty plans set in place for this guy. Probably a bit too soon for it.

26/50/40 There's just no way you're getting that out of Kunitz, Sid, Bennett.

No he isn't

I feel like you're completely missing the point of what Sid's line needs and you're still stuck on this unproven idea that Bennett can't score.

The problem with KCD isn't scoring goals, it's their ability to play against tough defensive teams. As KIRK said, all teams have to do is focus in on Crosby and just like that the line is shut down because his wingers can't make plays on their own. If you replace Dupuis (who is currently shooting at 4.3% while also being a mess every time the puck is on his stick) with Bennett then he can create space for Sid so the same old game plan isn't as effective.

I couldn't care less about each member on that line's individual goal totals. I really don't see why it matters if they exactly match the KMN line, it's not the same line.

The bottom line is, I truly believe that not only would KCB score more in total than KCD, but they would also be much, much more effective against better teams.

 

[Ugene Magic]

35/55/20 is most certainly possible with that trio. Kunitz is tied for the lead on this team in goals. I see no reason why he can't up his career average playing with the best player in the world and another above average playmaker.

That's fools gold thinking there. Kunitz has been playing with the best two centers in the league for a tune of 4 seasons now. While it's plausible for Bennett to in the future get 20 and even if it's to 25 and Kunitz hits his max he hit with two great players, he's already has done that, and 26, 50/55, 20 isn't all that much of an improvement and still leaves you with status quo pretty much. He can dance around with the puck a little longer to get the same results.

Kunitz being tied for the team lead in goals being the teams only other goal scoring winger with Jokinen at the time suggest you feel they will now hold the PP position each shared over Neal while he was out.

I'm going to have to call that a busted theory. It's not happening 5 on 5.

 

[mpp9]

That's fools gold thinking there. Kunitz has been playing with the best two centers in the league for a tune of 4 seasons now. While it's plausible for Bennett to in the future get 20 and even if it's to 25 and Kunitz hits his max he hit with two great players, he's already has done that, and 26, 50/55, 20 isn't all that much of an improvement and still leaves you with status quo pretty much. He can dance around with the puck a little longer to get the same results.

Kunitz being tied for the team lead in goals being the teams only other goal scoring winger with Jokinen at the time suggest you feel they will now hold the PP position each shared over Neal while he was out.

I'm going to have to call that a busted theory. It's not happening 5 on 5.

What the **** are you talking about?

Kunitz has clearly focused more on shooting the past year. This isn't an aberration. There were several trib articles last year with Kunitz and Sid commenting on it.

And again, Beau in for Dupuis is a net positive b/c of his ability to hang on to pucks and buy time for Sid to get into scoring positions. Sid won the damn Rocket the last time he played a full season. I see no reason why he couldn't again.

No one knows for sure how Beau would look with those two. But Sid has made things work with coal miners and over the hill vets for 8 years now. To dismiss Beau as a viable upgrade on Sid's RW is just ridiculous.

Dupes doesn't have a goal in his last 11 games. Lord knows Beau couldn't follow that act.

 

[Ugene Magic]

No he isn't

I feel like you're completely missing the point of what Sid's line needs and you're still stuck on this unproven idea that Bennett can't score.

The problem with KCD isn't scoring goals, it's their ability to play against tough defensive teams. As KIRK said, all teams have to do is focus in on Crosby and just like that the line is shut down because his wingers can't make plays on their own. If you replace Dupuis (who is currently shooting at 4.3% while also being a mess every time the puck is on his stick) with Bennett then he can create space for Sid so the same old game plan isn't as effective.

I couldn't care less about each member on that line's individual goal totals. I really don't see why it matters if they exactly match the KMN line, it's not the same line.

The bottom line is, I truly believe that not only would KCB score more in total than KCD, but they would also be much, much more effective against better teams.

If Bennett or Kunitz don't finish off plays, how do you see teams letting up on Sid? Doesn't this theory have to be a proven entity to actually work? Just because us fans say it will work isn't actual play on the ice. They will let up on Sid if Beau is dancing around with the puck? If anything, if I'm the other team, I'd say they'll just have to prove it because, I'm not giving Sid an inch of room on the ice until they do.

You're asking teams to blindly be scared of a rookie that hasn't established himself yet.

 

[Waffle Fries]

If Bennett or Kunitz don't finish off plays, how do you see teams letting up on Sid?

Well you're operating under this assumption that Bennett and Kunitz don't finish plays, which doesn't really make sense. Kunitz has a very good shot. Last year, as the primary goal scorer he had 20 goals in the 35 games before Crosby got hurt.

With a playmaker as talented as Bennett, they could definitely do some damage. At least more damage than Dupuis and Kunitz would do.

You keep harping on whether the wings can score, but Dupuis isn't exactly a good goal scorer himself so I'm not sure how that line would lose anything in that department replacing him with Bennett.

Doesn't this theory have to be a proven entity to actually work? Just because us fans say it will work isn't actual play on the ice.

I feel like this is exactly the type of circular logic Bylsma uses

"We've never tried this, so we don't know if it can work. Since we don't know if it can work, we shouldn't try it."

What we do know is that KCD doesn't work. There is absolutely no harm in trying something different.

They will let up on Sid if Beau is dancing around with the puck? If anything, if I'm the other team, I'd say they'll just have to prove it because, I'm not giving Sid an inch of room on the ice until they do.

You're asking teams to blindly be scared of a rookie that hasn't established himself yet.

It's not like they give Sid room with his current linemates either, at least with Bennett on the ice there's a chance something happens for us.

 

[Ugene Magic]

What the **** are you talking about?

Kunitz has clearly focused more on shooting the past year. This isn't an aberration. There were several trib articles last year with Kunitz and Sid commenting on it.

And again, Beau in for Dupuis is a net positive b/c of his ability to hang on to pucks and buy time for Sid to get into scoring positions. Sid won the damn Rocket the last time he played a full season. I see no reason why he couldn't again.

No one knows for sure how Beau would look with those two. But Sid has made things work with coal miners and over the hill vets for 8 years now. To dismiss Beau as a viable upgrade on Sid's RW is just ridiculous.

Dupes doesn't have a goal in his last 11 games. Lord knows Beau couldn't follow that act.

Kunitz has shot a lot before, the totals don't lie. They pretty much line up and are max what you're going to conceivably get out of him. He got one more goal than his high, and one more point than his highest, and that was shooting a tad more than back when he was with Anaheim one season. He played one less game.

I just don't see where Kunitz is going to become this 70/75 point player he's never been. That's what you're asking for.

The Red Bold: I'm saying he's not a viable upgrade, right now. Bit of a difference. A viable upgrade is a proven player above and beyond who he has now. Seems pretty hard to state that when your last sentence say it all, but he could follow it since he has a whole 3 in 32 games and a total of 0 this year in 6 games.

It's a lot of blind faith.

 

[mpp9]

Kunitz has shot a lot before, the totals don't lie. They pretty much line up and are max what you're going to conceivably get out of him. He got one more goal than his high, and one more point than his highest, and that was shooting a tad more than back when he was with Anaheim one season. He played one less game.

I just don't see where Kunitz is going to become this 70/75 point player he's never been. That's what you're asking for.

The Red Bold: I'm saying he's not a viable upgrade, right now. Bit of a difference. A viable upgrade is a proven player above and beyond who he has now. Seems pretty hard to state that when your last sentence say it all, but he could follow it since he has a whole 3 in 32 games and a total of 0 this year in 6 games.

It's a lot of blind faith.

What's it hurt to try it out? Dupuis is coming off a terrible game, and he hasn't scored in 11. You're dismissing something before it's tried. We know what we have in KCD. And it won't get it done in the postseason.

Kunitz had 22 goals in 48 games last season. And is on a similar pace this season. Think what you want I guess. He's obviously scoring at a higher rate. Facts is facts my man.

The idea that there wouldn't be enough finishing ability between Kunitz and Sid on a line is just insane. Utter nonsense.

 

[Ugene Magic]

Well you're operating under this assumption that Bennett and Kunitz don't finish plays, which doesn't really make sense. Kunitz has a very good shot. Last year, as the primary goal scorer he had 20 goals in the 35 games before Crosby got hurt.

You're speaking of a season in which you think guys like Kunitz and Dupuis were the only ones that got inflated stats in a 48 game shorten season? There was a rise everywhere. Are you tryng to tell me Dupuis was going to score 65 points in a 82, game season, or Kunitz was going to get 88/89 points?

I have this nice Island for sale.

With a playmaker as talented as Bennett, they could definitely do some damage. At least more damage than Dupuis and Kunitz would do.

So you say.

You keep harping on whether the wings can score, but Dupuis isn't exactly a good goal scorer himself so I'm not sure how that line would lose anything in that department replacing him with Bennett.

That's part my point, if it's not a clear upgrade, it's not an upgrade.

I feel like this is exactly the type of circular logic Bylsma uses

God forbid players need to earn it and move up the ranks accordingly.

"We've never tried this, so we don't know if it can work. Since we don't know if it can work, we shouldn't try it."

You try it along the way, a shift here and a shift there when he earns it.

What we do know is that KCD doesn't work. There is absolutely no harm in trying something different.

What we do know is the entire team doesn't work, last I recall, that's the only line doing any real damage at all.

It's not like they give Sid room with his current linemates either, at least with Bennett on the ice there's a chance something happens for us.

A chance is just a chance, chance's don't seem to be the problem. The problem is nobody's doing much with their chances, lately, even, Bennett.



The guy just needs time and gain experience. The kids played 32 games.

 

[Waffle Fries]

You're speaking of a season in which you think guys like Kunitz and Dupuis were the only ones that got inflated stats in a 48 game shorten season? There was a rise everywhere. Are you tryng to tell me Dupuis was going to score 65 points in a 82, game season, or Kunitz was going to get 88/89 points?

I have this nice Island for sale.

No, I'm trying to illustrate that there's enough scoring ability between the three of them.

So you say.

Well to be fair, it probably isn't that hard to do more damage than Kunitz and Dupuis do together.

That's part my point, if it's not a clear upgrade, it's not an upgrade.

Where do you get that I said it's not a clear upgrade. All I said was that line isn't going to lose goal scoring ability by replacing Dupuis with Bennett.

God forbid players need to earn it and move up the ranks accordingly.

You try it along the way, a shift here and a shift there when he earns it.

How is he supposed to earn it when he's never given the chance to play there?

Why doesn't Dupuis (or other vets for that matter) have to earn the right to stay in that spot? He's been absolutely awful, and yet there's no accountability.

What we do know is the entire team doesn't work, last I recall, that's the only line doing any real damage at all.

I'm not even talking about right now. I'm talking about what we see every single time we play against a tough checking team.

But if you want to talk about right now, right now Crosby hasn't scored in 7 games and Dupuis hasn't scored in 11. So no, they aren't doing any real damage at all.

A chance is just a chance, chance's don't seem to be the problem. The problem is nobody's doing much with their chances, lately, even, Bennett.

Bennett has been back from injury for exactly one game. He was one of the best skaters on the ice against St. Louis as well.

The guy just needs time and gain experience. The kids played 32 games.

I don't care how many games he played, I care how he looks when he plays them. He rarely ever makes mistakes and has looked fantastic overall.

Before this year, Hertl had played 0 NHL games and yet the Sharks still let him play with Thornton to start the season. Last year going into the season, Saad had only 2 NHL games and he was in the Hawks top six.

Those two teams are contenders as well and they don't have a problem letting their young talent play big roles.

 

[AjaxTelamon]

It makes a lot of sense to give BB an extended audition on that line, as you really aren't losing anything. Dupuis has looked his best playing with Sutter this year anyways.

I for one am not interested in how well Crosby can make Dupuis produce. Crosby is quite arguably our best goal scorer right now, and has been for some time. Even if BB doesn't score the 20-25 you may want from Dupuis, Crosby could easily score 50+ with BB on his wing.

 

[Ugene Magic]

What's it hurt to try it out? Dupuis is coming off a terrible game, and he hasn't scored in 11. You're dismissing something before it's tried. We know what we have in KCD. And it won't get it done in the postseason.

Kunitz had 22 goals in 48 games last season. And is on a similar pace this season. Think what you want I guess. He's obviously scoring at a higher rate. Facts is facts my man.

The idea that there wouldn't be enough finishing ability between Kunitz and Sid on a line is just insane. Utter nonsense.

Sid yes, but if you count 26 goals as enough finishing then you're with most that think the finishers of the day are 20 something finishers. Finishers for me are guys in the mid 30's + goals. Anything less than that are just knockoffs of the real deal.

What's going to free up Sid or anyone on the team is the team finishing their chances from throughout the roster. They have zero support from the lower ranks on a consistent basis. The Pens no longer enjoy the 60/65 goals the 3rd line use to produce. At this pace they'll be lucky to hit 20 on that line this season.

Yet Sid's line is in the most need?

 

[Ragamuffin Gunner]

If Bennett or Kunitz don't finish off plays, how do you see teams letting up on Sid? Doesn't this theory have to be a proven entity to actually work? Just because us fans say it will work isn't actual play on the ice. They will let up on Sid if Beau is dancing around with the puck? If anything, if I'm the other team, I'd say they'll just have to prove it because, I'm not giving Sid an inch of room on the ice until they do.

You're asking teams to blindly be scared of a rookie that hasn't established himself yet.

What a terrible, terrible argument.

It's 20 ****ing games into the season, now is when you try ****.

 

[Shockmaster]

Sid yes, but if you count 26 goals as enough finishing then you're with most that think the finishers of the day are 20 something finishers. Finishers for me are guys in the mid 30's + goals. Anything less than that are just knockoffs of the real deal.

What's going to free up Sid or anyone on the team is the team finishing their chances from throughout the roster. They have zero support from the lower ranks on a consistent basis. The Pens no longer enjoy the 60/65 goals the 3rd line use to produce. At this pace they'll be lucky to hit 20 on that line this season.

Yet Sid's line is in the most need?

Yeah, Crosby has never done that before....

 

[mpp9]

Sid yes, but if you count 26 goals as enough finishing then you're with most that think the finishers of the day are 20 something finishers. Finishers for me are guys in the mid 30's + goals. Anything less than that are just knockoffs of the real deal.

What's going to free up Sid or anyone on the team is the team finishing their chances from throughout the roster. They have zero support from the lower ranks on a consistent basis. The Pens no longer enjoy the 60/65 goals the 3rd line use to produce. At this pace they'll be lucky to hit 20 on that line this season.

Yet Sid's line is in the most need?

So you have to put up 35+ to be considered a legit finisher. There were 14 players with that type of production in the last full season. Two of them being Penguins.

Aside from the fact Kunitz has produced at that pace since the beginning of 2013. Your logic dictates that Marian Hossa is a knockoff since he only had 29 in 2012.

And what will free Sid up is having a player who can get him the puck in scoring areas. Hitting him with tape to tape passes in stride. Utilizing his skating ability and hockey sense. And genuinely create offense without having to rely on Sid. Beau's goal scoring ability is about the last thing I'd use as justification for moving him up on that line.

I don't understand how you can watch KCD and think, gee, I know Sid hasn't had the puck at all the past couple weeks. And Dupuis is whacking pucks around while that line is damn near incapable of scoring off the rush other than the occasional breakaway. But ya know what, if Sid had a finisher, his problems would be solved.

You're 100% wrong on this one my man.

 

[Sty1877]

Sid yes, but if you count 26 goals as enough finishing then you're with most that think the finishers of the day are 20 something finishers. Finishers for me are guys in the mid 30's + goals. Anything less than that are just knockoffs of the real deal.

What's going to free up Sid or anyone on the team is the team finishing their chances from throughout the roster. They have zero support from the lower ranks on a consistent basis. The Pens no longer enjoy the 60/65 goals the 3rd line use to produce. At this pace they'll be lucky to hit 20 on that line this season.

Yet Sid's line is in the most need?

We don't have Staal on the 3rd line anymore. It isn't going to be the 3rd line that wins us Stanley Cups. It has to contribute, but it won't win it. We need our first two lines, and our two best centers, to have open space in the offensive zone against the tight checking teams that we're going to find in the later rounds of the playoffs. Bennet will do that for the first line. (Not to mention, Dupuis is a good fit for the 3rd line. He can play well with Sutter).

I feel like people need to watch the Boston series over again.

 

[Heliarclee]

First post!!

I may be crazy, but with how well Malkin and Neal play with a speedy checking forward why not try Vitale on his wing? The only thing that guy knows is to give it everything he has 100% of the time. He also shows flashes of decent playmaking ability. He is also another faceoff man for the line if Malkin gets kicked out.

Also with the way Jokinen can shoot why not try him with sid?

 

[Sty1877]

First post!!

I may be crazy, but with how well Malkin and Neal play with a speedy checking forward why not try Vitale on his wing? The only thing that guy knows is to give it everything he has 100% of the time. He also shows flashes of decent playmaking ability. He is also another faceoff man for the line if Malkin gets kicked out.

Also with the way Jokinen can shoot why not try him with sid?

Welcome to the forum.

I'm not sure I like Jokinen with Sid. Jokinen goes cold, and when he does, he'll be useless on that line.

As for Vitale, it sounds strange, and most will say that's a bad suggestion, but he could probably fill the same roll Talbot filled during the 09 playoffs. They're very similar players. I'm not sure Vitale can score like Max could, though. I wouldn't consider it for the regular season.

 

[AjaxTelamon]

First post!!

I may be crazy, but with how well Malkin and Neal play with a speedy checking forward why not try Vitale on his wing? The only thing that guy knows is to give it everything he has 100% of the time. He also shows flashes of decent playmaking ability. He is also another faceoff man for the line if Malkin gets kicked out.

Also with the way Jokinen can shoot why not try him with sid?

Welcome to the boards! Well, Jokinen would be better than Dupuis right now. And the Vitale idea isn't bad at all, I think his speed would help Malkin. But the fourth line would be a real dead weight without Vitale.

 

[#66]

Just my opinion, but as much as Sid needs a sniper, what he really needs is a guy out there who can make a play one on one more than once in the bluest of moons, be it with skill, speed, or some combination thereof.

Simple to defend Sid: Check him tight, collapse around him, and make Kunitz or Dupuis make a play, which they don't against teams that play a disciplined defensive game.

I'm not sure that a sniper necessarily makes that play either (which, as an aside, is why Neal and Malkin together are inconsistent without a puck retriever on the other wing). But, someone who can beat a guy one on one can make the other team pay for cheating so much in covering Sid.

Bennett sniping would be a luxury. What Bennett can do as a one on one player makes exploring him out there with Sid and Kunitz worthwhile, just as what he can do as a one on one battler for the puck makes exploring him out there with Geno and Neal worthwhile.

IMO Sid needs a player that he can give and go with more than anything. Someone with that poise and sense for time and space. I've always thought that a dream line mate for Sid would be Elias. A halting winger more than a driving one like say a Kovy.

I do think that Bennett has the ability to be that type of winger. Maybe not as high end as Elias but I think his style would mesh well with Sids.

To be honest I would love to see a line of Neal-Crosby-Bennett. Crosby and Bennett's active play and playmaking setting up Neals shot and sniping.

Then have Malkin with Kunitz and Jokinen. Malkin and JJ have some chemisty going but adding Kunitz to the mix gives them that puck hunter and defensive play to make that line a little more well rounded.

 

[roquay]

First post!!

I may be crazy, but with how well Malkin and Neal play with a speedy checking forward why not try Vitale on his wing? The only thing that guy knows is to give it everything he has 100% of the time. He also shows flashes of decent playmaking ability. He is also another faceoff man for the line if Malkin gets kicked out.

Also with the way Jokinen can shoot why not try him with sid?

I may also be crazy but if we have a repeat of the Boston series, I wouldn't mind seeing a Top 9 of

Bennett Crosby Malkin
Kunitz Jokinen Neal
Megna Sutter Dupuis

A lot harder to team up on Crosby with that Malkin kid lurking. Third line is better with Duper and the second line can still score.

 

[Ugene Magic]

No, I'm trying to illustrate that there's enough scoring ability between the three of them.

So you're settling.

Well to be fair, it probably isn't that hard to do more damage than Kunitz and Dupuis do together.

It's not the only issue with the team to focus solely on it, and commit all your best assets to that one line like it's going to fix the entire team. There are worse lines.

Where do you get that I said it's not a clear upgrade. All I said was that line isn't going to lose goal scoring ability by replacing Dupuis with Bennett.

I'm saying it's not a clear upgrade.

How is he supposed to earn it when he's never given the chance to play there?

3rd line says hello.

Why doesn't Dupuis (or other vets for that matter) have to earn the right to stay in that spot? He's been absolutely awful, and yet there's no accountability.

I'm pretty sure the heads running the ship see that the team is riddled with injuries and their bottom six is pretty weak, and that speaks nothing of the condition of the defense.

I'm not even talking about right now. I'm talking about what we see every single time we play against a tough checking team.

We don't have the horses this year, and last year I'm in full agreement about Bylsma not setting up the lines better.

But if you want to talk about right now, right now Crosby hasn't scored in 7 games and Dupuis hasn't scored in 11. So no, they aren't doing any real damage at all.

But they did early on, support just isn't there. If you only have to shut off one avenue to control a team does it not make your job easier?

Bennett has been back from injury for exactly one game. He was one of the best skaters on the ice against St. Louis as well.

Skating? maybe, but he wasn't all there and after the hit he looked worse to me, but I'll concede being back for one game.

I don't care how many games he played, I care how he looks when he plays them. He rarely ever makes mistakes and has looked fantastic overall.

I care about more than just that to hand over the job to play with the best player on the planet.

Before this year, Hertl had played 0 NHL games and yet the Sharks still let him play with Thornton to start the season. Last year going into the season, Saad had only 2 NHL games and he was in the Hawks top six.

Those two teams are contenders as well and they don't have a problem letting their young talent play big roles.

Maybe they're just better players than, Beau?
Maybe they were forced into the choice to play them?
It's not like he hasn't had a chance to play with either Malkin or Crosby, has he lit it up with them and forced their hand? I'm sure the others two probably did. Is there anything wrong with Beau earning and playing a full-time 3rd line role?

The Pens are the Pens, they're not the Blackhawks or the Sharks.

I see it this way, Bennett is a huge step from Tyler Kennedy, we should see him blossom in that 3rd line role, maybe he'll force their hands one day.

 

[Waffle Fries]

So you're settling.

No?

It's not the only issue with the team to focus solely on it, and commit all your best assets to that one line like it's going to fix the entire team. There are worse lines.

Our advantage is Crosby and Malkin. I think that we should exploit that advantage by giving them the best chance to succeed. Not to mention swapping Beau and Duper automatically makes two lines better.

I'm pretty sure the heads running the ship see that the team is riddled with injuries and their bottom six is pretty weak, and that speaks nothing of the condition of the defense.

What does any of this have to do with Dupuis' play?

But they did early on, support just isn't there. If you only have to shut off one avenue to control a team does it not make your job easier?

No, Crosby did early on. We went through a stretch where we played some pretty weak teams and Crosby alone was enough to beat them. Dupuis has 2 goals in 17 games playing alongside the best player in the world. That's not good enough.

I care about more than just that to hand over the job to play with the best player on the planet.

I actually laughed out loud at this. You care about more than someone playing extremely well and rarely making mistakes? What do you value over that?

Dupuis is playing some really terrible hockey right now and someone it's okay for him to play alongside the best player in the world.

Maybe they're just better players than, Beau?
Maybe they were forced into the choice to play them?
It's not like he hasn't had a chance to play with either Malkin or Crosby, has he lit it up with them and forced their hand? I'm sure the others two probably did. Is there anything wrong with Beau earning and playing a full-time 3rd line role?

When has he had these chances? He played like two games with Malkin last year (and looked really damn good) and then Geno got hurt. The same thing happened this year, except Beau got hurt.

He's never had a chance to play with Crosby outside of maybe two shifts 4 on 4 and the one 5on3 where Beau scored his first goal. You can't tell me he has had chances with them the way Hertl and Saad were given chances.

I see it this way, Bennett is a huge step from Tyler Kennedy, we should see him blossom in that 3rd line role, maybe he'll force their hands one day.

You know who is perfect for improving the third line? Dupuis.

 

[Shady Machine]

"Playmaking" doesn't mean "just passes." A playmaker's in control of the bulk of the decision-making on his line. He decides where the puck goes and to whom. If that's to the net, he's still functioning as his line's brain. That Crosby can score goals doesn't have anything to do with him not being a playmaker first, second and third.

Bennett's strength is also playmaking. But on a line, unless you're role swapping constantly (think Sid and Malkin), that's a zero sum game. If one guy's controlling the play, the other guy isn't. Bennett isn't on a level that role swapping makes sense. If Crosby's on the ice and Bennett's the one making all the decisions, for any extended period of time, you've got a problem. Sid's good for, what, creating 3 scoring chances per shift on a good day? Bennett for one a game. Maybe.

As far as where Bennett goes, I would first reiterate that Crosby does not exist so he can stat-pad Bennett while his production goes down. Too many people seem to think this and I have no idea why. Crosby's the world's best player. Bennett, maybe the 80th best wing, if that. You don't ask the former to drop to the latter's level.

Then I would tell you to ask Shero, not me. I have little understanding of why he would pick a playmaker with top 6 skill who can't score then convert him to wing, instead of just selecting a wing who projects to be able to put the puck in net.

And finally, you're the one who made the condescending video game remark. If I said something about a video game, it was in response to you.

You're kind of weird

I think where we disagree is what Bennett is capable of. Apparently you only see him being successful if he has the puck on his stick and is directing the play. The problem with that notion is that Bennett has excelled at play without the puck. His positioning and defense have been great. Additionally, he can work give and go's very well. He doesn't HAVE to score or have the puck on his stick to be successful with Sid or Geno (although I do think he will score more than you let on).

I just wish you would have said you don't think Bennett is a very good fit for this team for X, Y, and Z reasons from the get go so we didn't go round and round about nothing.