What's Sam Bennett's RFA contract worth?

[Yoho]

High draft pick, still adjusting to NHL game. What kind of dollar value and term does he get for upcoming seasons?

http://www.spotrac.com/nhl/calgary-f...bennett-15609/

[Fire in the disco]

3 year bridge? 3m per

[ComixZone]

Bridge deal.

3 years, 2.85M per season seems fair value.

Comparables:

Nazem Kadri - 2 years, 2.9M per season
Brayden Schenn - 2 years, 2.5M per season
Sean Couturier - 2 years, 1.75M per season
Ryan Strome - 2 years, 2.5M per season

I think you take Schenn's deal, add a year and a slight bump in AAV. I think ending up at 2.85M per for 3 years is a fair bridge deal.

[ResAlien]

Pretty much exactly Galchenyuk's RFA deal. Two years just under 3 mil each.

[Vinny01]

Prefer to go 3 years so his deal doesn't come up when Tkachuk's does and we still have Frolik and Brouwer on the payroll. In 3 years Frolik and Brouwer represent almost $9M in cap space but Brodie's deal is also up

[Sylvanfan]

Unless things turn around a fair bit for him, how is he worth more than 2 million a year on a 2 year deal, or 2.5 on a 3 year deal?

[Cleveland Steam Whistle]

If we want 3 years it will cost more than the 2 year comparibles no?

[kukkudo]

Originally Posted by Sylvanfan

Unless things turn around a fair bit for him, how is he worth more than 2 million a year on a 2 year deal, or 2.5 on a 3 year deal?

I agree with Sylvan. I think we see Bennett get just under 2.0 for 2 years and just over 2.0 for 3 years.

[Hockeyboy2]

I agree that a contract similar to Alex Galchenyuk would suffice.

I'd like the Flames to push for 3 years at 2.5 to 2.8 million cap hit. I just see him as a player who is going to break out in 2-4 years so the Flames should keep his bridge contract manageable.

Although star players in the NHL seem to be breaking out offensively younger and younger these days, I still subscribe to the mindset that the majority of players are in their offensive production peak between 24-27. We sometimes forget that Sam Bennett is only 20 years old.

Although completely different players I would ask people to take a look at Mikael Backland who is one of the best two way forwards in the game today and ask themselves where was Mikael Backlund at the same age?

The answer is playing mainly in the AHL with a few trips up to the Flames and in fact up until around 2012 when Backlund was 23 there were many, many, many fans wondering if he was a bust and whether we should be trading him.

[Erick Estrada]

This is the lone bright side I suppose of him underachieving I suppose. I still think he's going to be a core player for this organization which means he's probably going to be good value on this next deal.

[Monahan For Mayor]

I think he will get 2Y x 2.5M.

[The Fonz]

I think it's important that the bridge deal be a 3yr term, even if it means giving him another .5M per year, as both Frolik's and Brouwer's contracts have 3yrs remaining after this one. Things could get ugly if Bennett were to sign a 2yr bridge, put up a couple 65pt+ seasons, and then we need to get him re-signed while still having 8.8M allocated to Brouwer & Frolik.

[ResAlien]

Originally Posted by The Fonz

I think it's important that the bridge deal be a 3yr term, even if it means giving him another .5M per year, as both Frolik's and Brouwer's contracts have 3yrs remaining after this one. Things could get ugly if Bennett were to sign a 2yr bridge, put up a couple 65pt+ seasons, and then we need to get him re-signed while still having 8.8M allocated to Brouwer & Frolik.

A couple 65+ point seasons would be an amazing problem to have. Right now it seems that a couple of 40-45 point seasons are more likely.

[Enoch Root]

2 x $2.5M

[The Fonz]

Originally Posted by ResAlien

A couple 65+ point seasons would be an amazing problem to have. Right now it seems that a couple of 40-45 point seasons are more likely.

But why wouldn't we take steps now to postpone that big raise by 1 year, when the team will have the flexibility to take it on?

[GullFoss]

Bennett is too competitive to take a 3y bridge. I do think there is the opportunity to pay for potential here, and take down the cap hit:

1y @ 1.75
2y @ 2.5
8y @ 5.5

[pepper24]

6 years at $6 million. Like Oilers, overpay early but get it back and more the last part of the contract.

[Hockeyboy2]

Originally Posted by GullFoss

Bennett is too competitive to take a 3y bridge. I do think there is the opportunity to pay for potential here, and take down the cap hit:

1y @ 1.75
2y @ 2.5
8y @ 5.5

Most players whether their on ice play shows it are competitive people and in my opinion most players and their agents would be extremely competitive when it comes to securing the most profitable deal they can for the player.

Within the parameters of the term "competitive" I would be more inclined to think a competitive person would not want an 8 year deal for security but want a series of short term "I'll show you what I can do" deals that dictate what the next deal will be from a market value standpoint.

I do think though that you are correct in saying their is an opportunity to get a good deal for potential here, but that is coming from the Flames perspective and isn't necessarily a shared perspective going the other way in any negotiation.

[Fire]

I don't see a 3 year bridge. 2 year bridge at around $2.5/yr seems right.

[calgaryblood]

Two years at $2 million/yr.