Just throwing this out there as a possibility, but I wonder if beyond being a bad coach whether the players respect Ward at all at this point.
I kind of wonder if the Bennett situation wasn’t the straw that broke the camel’s back. I don’t think it’s unfair say that Ward did not treat Bennett with respect. If you look at Bennett’s healthy scratch after he was just coming on, the Flames scored 26 goals before that point, and 26 goals after. But they allowed 23 goals before that point, and now 39 after. The differential has swung huge. It’s not like they were world beaters before that, the mark of a bad coach for sure, but the wheels have fully come off.
This isn’t to suggest Bennett is important or to add to “the legend of Sam Bennett” or whatever. On the contrary, I think it could have been any player. I just get the feeling that disrespecting a guy who has been in that room with a lot of the guys for years, especially with this team where you can argue that they’re not above quitting on coaches or whatever, could be enough to push them over the edge.
People have pointed to Bennett being the distraction and suggested his trade request would make him an outcast somewhat on the team, but what if it’s the opposite? If Ward was already having trouble getting buy-in and respect in the room, I could see that as the thing that pushes it over the top.
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