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Originally Posted by TheScorpion
I think Calgary would prefer to keep Bennett and try to trade Jankowski for something of value instead of letting him walk. That's purely conjectural.
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Where is this conjecture coming from? Have you heard something from someone in management that seems to indicate they have a crush on Bennett or think he's a player? I think they would love to move Bennett and have dangled him in the market, but are holding firm on a price for him. I think the offers have been underwhelming because other teams know what type of player Bennett is and that he does not play up to his salary.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Sandman
I do think that management does love Benny, and would prefer to keep him unless he's included in a trade for a bigger name.
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Unfortunately the coaching staff doesn't like him. They see him for what he is and they don't like what they see, and that shows with his ice time and his assignments. At some point management is going to have align with what four coaching staffs have seen in Sam Bennett.
Benny is 24 and is coming off a season where he was trending to score 15 points. He is not especially adept at anything. Not a great skater. His shot is weak and inaccurate. He's not smart and doesn't play a structured game well. As a result he doesn't play the PP or the PK. He's got 360+ games under his belt. Sam Bennett is what he is and he's not going to develop anything more in his skill set that isn't already there. If it were not for his draft position people would be pissed at the money Bennett makes and how little he brings to the table. I don't believe management "loves" Bennett and would like to find a new team for him. The problem is that no one his coming near the asking price that Treliving put on him earlier this year, and Benny's performance has only hurt that asking price that much more.
Ideally the Flames would probably love to move on from Bennett, Jankowski, and Lucic. The best scenario for the Flames would be trading Bennett and Jankowski and having Lucic retire. That $9.5M in cap space could be used to bring in a player or two that could make a difference. If they could turn these players into something positive this team could be a lot better.