Sam Bennett is a very talented and hard working player. He plays with an edge, but has playmaking and scoring abilities.
In his time in Calgary, he was buried in the bottom 6 and was never given any sustained opportunity to play with good players.
Its funny how things change. Monahan is now a 4th line player, who is literally useless, and Bennett is flourishing with Florida. I know Monahan has had injuries, but the guy is not an NHL player anymore. He can't play at this level, it is so evident in his skating. Unless I am missing something, the Flames will likely be considering a buy out for him this off season.
Bennett was always one of the only Calgary Flames players who played with heart, and they traded him. Of course he wanted out in the end, as he didn't want to waste another year of his 'productive years' playing 10 minutes a night and being told to hit everything in sight and be a grinder.
Sam can play any style of hockey, which is what makes him so special. He is not an 'Elite' player, but he is a top 6 player who makes any team better. Players like Bennett are hard to find, and are good in the playoffs (we all know that). He won't take a game over, but he elevates with good players around him, and he is flourishing right now. He has the ability to finish, and he is pound for pound one of the toughest guys.
I could not be happier for Bennett. He is playing on a great team, lives in Florida, making good money that the Flames were never going to give him.
I guess he gets the last laugh, but I was rattled when the Flames moved him, and I am still upset about it because Calgary did not handle this properly.
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