Quote:
Originally Posted by neo45
I don’t think the production is there to justify over 3m unless he is giving up his prime years, which would be great for the team but stupid from Bennett’s perspective to bet against himself
Expect 2-3 years at around 2.5-2.75 AAV
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I wouldn't go so far to say it would be stupid for Bennett to sign a 3-4 year deal at all. There's a lot to be said about security. NHL contracts are guaranteed. If I was in his shoes and you can get 10-12 million over four years, that's a pretty good deal and hard to say 'no' to, unless your looking to get out.
Look, Bennett signed a bridge deal two years ago likely thinking he needed two big years to put himself in a position to sign a long term big money contract. It didn't happen. If he's being honest with himself, he likely understands he's now going to have to put up multiple years of statistical improvements to even start a conversation about getting paid top six dollar figures (which I would consider starting at 4.5 per).
Signing another two year deal does nothing for Bennett. He would literally be in the same situation two years from now. Another contract negotiation with a team that owns your rights. Can you recall any player who signed two bridge deals in a row and saw his stock rise dramatically on the second deal? I can't.
His best bet is to sign a 3-4 year deal that gets him into UFA status. He should be thinking about that and making sure he's improving for each of those years. If that happens, he's likely a top six winger looking to sign long term for big dough. That's the best case scenario for Bennett.
I think the Flames like Bennett and have him in their plans, at least for the short-mid term. If they didn't believe in him, he'd likely be gone by now.