SB Nation Dallas Editor's Pick

What is Jamie Benn's potential?

by Kingofthefans...air fans on Mar 16, 2011 4:25 PM CDT

I have always been a fan of Jamie Benn. Always liked the player. Earlier this season, however, although still an excellent player, Benn did look to me like he'd added some weight, some muscle, but his legs hadn't quite caught up. He just wasn't quite as quick as he used to be.

After watching him in last night's game vs the San Jose Sharks, I think it's safe to say his legs have caught up. I used this analogy in my other fanpost, but he looked like a champion race horse, his legs churning with immense, controlled power. Maybe this statement doesn't hold much meaning at the moment because Brad Richards is clearly not back to 100% yet, but Jamie Benn put Richards to shame. He put Eriksson to shame. He put Thornton, Marleau, Heatley to shame. He was clearly the best player on the ice last night.

However, to play devil's advocate (and for the sake of the pole), one could say it is just one game, or a couple weeks that he's been on his tear.

So my two questions to all of you, is Jamie Benn, at 21 years of age, really as good as he displayed in last night's game? And what is his peak potential?

Poll

What is Jamie Benn's realistic potential?

The best all-around player in the NHL, a Pavel Datsyuk but with size, who scores many more goals, 50+ goals/110+ points/year on average and Selke candidate

10 votes

A top 10 forward in the NHL, somewhere smack in between Crosby's and Parise's of the world, 40 goals and 90 points a year and very good defensively

64 votes

A top line, point per game forward, top 25 in the league, 30-35 goals and 80-85 points per year, good defensively, as he is now

52 votes

A top 4 forward on the average team ala Mike Ribeiro, 20-30 goals a year, but more of an assist man than a go-to goal scorer, 65-75 (max) points per year, good defensively

5 votes

A quality 2nd line forward who will contribute at both ends of the ice, but who will not be a gamebreaker or go-to goal scorer, 55-70 points per season, average defensively

1 votes

132 votes | Poll has closed

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Comments

Glad no one chose that last option. That one is SO obviously not the case.... :)

I wonder if Gary Roberts has been working with him since he was hired by the Stars? When I was watching the Hawks-Bolts game last week, they did a feature during one of the intermissions on Stamkos and the work he had done with Roberts last summer. He had nothing but good things to say about the guy and his regime. Of course, James Neal was part of that group Stamkos was in last summer, and it didn’t really seem to help his game particularly.

But I could see Benn benefiting from Roberts’ guidance. Given how he was thrown into the center position last season and how he’s been thrown into all three winger positions recently (and a wide multitude of line partners), and has only stepped up his game tells me that he’s willing to try new things and try to grow and expand his horizons as a hockey player. I don’t know that he’ll ever been a Crosby or Ovechkin, but I do think he will be one of the top-10 forwards in the NHL, a Selke candidate, and a worthy successor (along with Loui Eriksson) to Jere Lehtinen.

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by TracyJean on Mar 17, 2011 10:51 AM CDT reply actions

Think I see him somewhere between #2 and #3 with a realistic outlook

Upper potential? Yeah maybe #2. Remember we have had exactly 2 players score 90 points in the history of the franchise. I personally see him as more a goal scorer than a huge point generator. Course a lot of that depends on what position he finally settles into. 40 goals a year seems realistic. Note that most of the really elite talent hits their goal peak pretty early in their careers … like 3rd to 5th season. All of the top guys you mention had much better numbers than Jamie in their 2nd full seasons. He won’t hit 30 goals till at least his 3rd season.

He does seem to underestimate his own talent though, so I do believe he has untapped upside that he has not recognized yet.

by 1paniolo on Mar 17, 2011 3:58 PM CDT reply actions

Well,

He’ll miss at least 13 games this season. I think he’d definitely hit 30 goals this season if he’d played close to 82 games. And he STILL might get there if he somehow keeps up this goal scoring pace over the last 11 games. That’s a lot to ask though.

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by BloggingBevo on Mar 18, 2011 1:11 PM CDT up reply actions

Definitely. Last year, he played all 82 games and had 22 goals.

This season, he will play 69 games max, and has 21 goals already with 11 games left. He might get to 30 this season, if not then close to it. But if he continues to grow his game, I can see him as at least a consistent 30-goal scorer.

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by TracyJean on Mar 18, 2011 2:04 PM CDT up reply actions

Yeah a Iginla type 30 goals a season

would be very nice. In fact I could easily see him with a very Iginla career, but with better set up ability. That would be sweet.

by 1paniolo on Mar 18, 2011 7:35 PM CDT up reply actions

Well if the past two weeks is the player he will be from here on out...

He’ll be up there with the very best…a 40-50 goal scorer, 100+ points a year. That’s a big if though.

by coolcolin09 on Mar 20, 2011 3:59 PM CDT reply actions

and 100+ is a bit lofty lol

by coolcolin09 on Mar 20, 2011 3:59 PM CDT up reply actions

Yeah I think there is a step missing between 2 and 3 for sure

I do not know if I believe he will ever be a 35 goal scorer consistently. I mean how many players are? But very good defensively, clutch scorer, physical. There are a lot of thing he seems like he could be very good at without putting all his focus on scoring. Much like Modano sacrificed point production for a better overall team game. But personally I do not ever see comparing him to the Parise’s and Nash’s of the world in terms of offensive ability.

However….I would love to be proven wrong…The guy is a beast, he is already 5x the best Neal ever was and if he turned into one of the best scoring wingers in the game I would rejoice my ignorance.

by brendan1 on Mar 24, 2011 4:47 PM CDT reply actions

The other thing I find flawed about this poll

Is that with every offensive step up the on the poll is a step up defensively. It would probably be more realistic to have an option of an above average clutch scorer that has selke winning defensive ability. As opposed to best player in the league and selke candidate.

by brendan1 on Mar 24, 2011 4:49 PM CDT up reply actions