[Cali Panthers Fan]

I don't do that trade for one simple reason: years that the player is under club control.

Sam is just beginning his NHL years and will be an RFA for at least 7 years IIRC. While nowhere near as good as Stamkos is right now, he could very well be a vital piece in a year or two. Then you have Bennett under club control as an RFA player who cannot command the same salary as a UFA, nor can he just decide to leave the club without some significant compensation coming back.

On the other hand, Stamkos is going to be a UFA coming up, and will get a hefty contract, both in AAV and term. He'll probably be worth most of the value, but UFA contracts are always worse value than RFA contracts. It's unlikely that Bennett will score as many goals as Stamkos, but he could put up as many points as him in a year or so, and cost maybe a quarter to half as much of Stamkos, with a much longer period of being Flames' property.

There's no way I'd trade any of Bennett, Monahan, or Gaudreau for Stamkos, even just straight up. The economics of the game reward teams with young promising talent. Once your star players hit UFA years, you are likely going to trend downwards, if for no other reason than you can't afford the stars and enough complimentary talent to be at the top of the league...at least not long term anyways.