Quote:
Originally Posted by ComixZone
You and I arguing about Sam Bennett yet again, it's always fun!
Your take on Bennett wasn't an uncommon one. I'd argue it was the uncomplicated one, but one that was justified because his day in day out regular season play just wasn't a sexy one.
However, look at what's happening in front of your eyes. He's got the opportunity I've long argued with you that he needed - and he's running with it. I'd say this is Bennett proving your take wrong - and it's freaking awesome for the team you cheer for. So you can continue to move the goal posts to justify an opinion you have, or you can be like "damn, I'm happy I was wrong on that one" and move on while cheering for a forward who is producing points at a better rate than almost everyone in the NHL in these playoffs as he also leads the NHL in post-season hits. Like holy hell - put those stat lines together, and don't even bother arguing that the stats don't matter, use the ol' eye test - it lines up. The Sam Bennett we're seeing right now is the player we DREAMED of drafting. He's showing the heart, grit, determination, and skill we need. Can he keep this up? Probably not, but does he deserve better linemates and an opportunity to play as a centre next year? Yeah, he does.
I was over here in camp Gillies and hammering the drum for him over Rittich for far, far too long. I was a freaking James Neal fan last year (...I STILL have my James Neal jersey ffs). Sometimes we're wrong.
The underlying numbers are starting to shine through. No one here is really arguing that Bennett is a superstar, as most of us seemed to have abandoned that take somewhere between Glen Gulutzan and Bill Peters - but just look at what he's doing AGAIN. He's "earning" his ice time/bump in linemates that you have said before he didn't deserve - well, he deserves it now, and he's making good on it. This is awesome for the team.
If someone is a Calgary Flames fan, I don't understand how they aren't loading up on the Bennett train. This could be freaking huge for the organization going forward. He's producing at an elite level at the most important time of the year, and so even if he puts up 30 points in the regular season - if he produces at a top level in the playoffs that's a pretty damn good thing - it's also really entertaining to watch.
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Small sample size versus large same size. We've seen this movie before. Sam will be awesome and the Flames will be out in the first round again, so it over-inflates his stats because of the small sample size. The Sam fans will be all excited about this being his breakout performance and that he's a core player finally showing his value. But then comes next training camp and Sam will revert back to the same player we see every year. He'll be out played by younger more hungry players and the coaching staff will be left shaking their heads, wondering where playoff Sam went? The coaches will take the blame - again - for treating Sam unfairly, when it is his inconsistent performance that leads to him earning the lack of time he gets. Sam becomes a distraction again and doesn't contribute to the team's regular season success, which is what give playoff Sam a chance to shine. It is the ultimate catch-22.
Frankly, next training camp will be Bennett's last opportunity with the Flames IMO. If he doesn't bring the same intensity and the same performance he is right now, and reverts back to 20-25 point bad penalty-taking, no-finish Sam, the Flames will move on. They have to if they want to get better. Just like they have to move Gaudreau this summer. Its just an inevitability. Players only get so many chances before a team moves on. Bennett is showing what he is capable of, which sets the expectation. When he doesn't live up to that expectation, that's where things go bad.
The larger sample size tells me to enjoy the playoff Sam Bennett, because it is a short run production and will not be in arenas come next regular season. Sam has to prove that wrong. It would be awesome if he did, because we could use this Sam Bennett on most nights. I really wish he would show up, because it makes the Flames a better team. When that guy doesn't show up, he contributes to the team being worse, which is the reality that Treliving has to live with. The larger sample size is why I would explore options to move him while the price may be inflated.