Pittsburgh Penguins forward Beau Bennett has been reunited with his former general manager, as Ray Shero and the New Jersey Devils have acquired the 24-year-old in exchange for the 77th overall pick in the 2016 NHL Entry Draft.
New Jersey Devils Acquire Beau Bennett
New Jersey Devils Acquire Beau Bennett
New Jerrsey acquires Beau Bennett from Pittsburgh for pick No. 77. Ray Shero getting one of his old kids back.
— Pierre LeBrun (@Real_ESPNLeBrun) June 25, 2016
Bennett was originally drafted in the 1st round, 20th overall by the Penguins in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft. The oft-injured forward has spent parts of the last four seasons with Pittsburgh, scoring 16 goals and 45 points in 129 games, while playing primarily a bottom-six role. During the Penguins run to the Stanley Cup this past post-season, Bennett managed to get into just one game, playing 11:18 and recording a -2 with two shots.
Bennett is a sneaky-good playmaker from the wing with good creativity, but has been knocked for both his inconsistency and his injury frequency, having never played more than 51 games in a season (during the 2014-15 season, which he split between Pittsburgh and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton).
Bennett is a restricted free agent going into this offseason and likely won’t command a very pricey contract. Evidently Shero and the Devils are hoping his luck will turn around in New Jersey, and he can develop into a consistent top-six threat.
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