Right winger Beau Bennett will miss Tuesday’s game against the New Jersey Devils due to an undisclosed injury. Saturday’s game against the Vancouver Canucks seems to have brought back the return of Bennett’s upper-body injury that caused him to miss 17 games so far this season, after a hit to defenseman Luca Sbisa landed Bennett in the locker room for medical attention. He did return for the end of the game but did not skate during Monday’s morning practice.
Coach Mike Sullivan says Bennett will be evaluated and more will be known about his condition during the All-Star break, beginning after Tuesday’s game against the New Jersey Devils. Of course, this is not the first time Bennett has been injured.
During the 2013-2014 season, Bennett was out for four months after breaking his wrist in a game against the New York Islanders, resulting in wrist surgery at the end of the season.
In the 2014-2015 season, Bennett was out three different times, one due to the mumps epidemic that spread throughout the NHL. In September 2014, Bennett was injured during practice after rookie winger Kasperi Kapanen clipped the heel of his skate, as well as suffering an upper-body injury in late April.
On the Dec. 14 game against the Washington Capitals, Bennett received an upper-body injury after taking a hit from T.J. Oshie, causing him to sit out for five weeks during the current season.
Despite his history of injuries, the right winger has played a total of 121 NHL games, with 15 goals and 28 assists, totaling 43 points for his NHL career so far. As a first-round pick for the Penguins in 2010, Bennett played on the team’s top power-play unit alongside Sidney Crosby and Kris Letang.
After the 2014-2015 season, Bennett was ranked 14th on the team in terms of regular season scoring after playing only 49 games.
In his return this season, Bennett was placed in the bottom six in order to give him a chance to fully recover and to get reacquainted with the team. Because Bennett has not had the opportunity to play a full NHL season, he has not had the chance to fully show his skill as a player.
However, Bennett does have his weak points.
“I have to get better at one-on-one battles, for sure,” Bennett said to the Trib in February,”as well as making plays in front of the net rather than sticking to the right side.
While the young player does have his flaws, his willingness to get back on the ice after an injury shows his motivation and love for the game. Because he has not played a full season he has not had the chance to fully develop his skills as an NHL player and build the relationships with his teammates on the ice that allow the lines to function well.
However, it is frustrating to have a player that has consistently been injured, and who has not played one full NHL season. The Penguins should not have to suffer because of the players inconsistency in games played. It might be time to put Bennett on the back burner for the time being and find a player who can build the relationships and continue to help the Penguin’s offense in the long run.
