I remembered using a phrase said by Gene Hackman's character from The Replacements about Sam, that when the man you are and the man you ought to be meet up, that should be one hell of a player.
Boy, he sure has lived up to it. Well done Sam.
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Some people will say “taxes”, others like myself will say “excellent ownership + elite front office and coaching + ridiculously deep, championship roster stuffed with some of his best friends in the league.”
And how do they fit all that talent under the cap? The tax savings means they can sign these guys for lower AAV than they otherwise could.
You think Sam signs for 8x8 if Florida had the same tax structure as places outside Florida? Come on. The AAV he could have got on the open market is way higher than 8M.
Chucky literally hand picked Florida as the place he wanted to go, and signed a contract on a lower AAV than he could have got if he went to free agency a year later. And there are probably many guys who took discounts to sign there.
People who think the lower taxes and good weather aren't big advantages, are kidding themselves.
And how do they fit all that talent under the cap? The tax savings means they can sign these guys for lower AAV than they otherwise could.
You think Sam signs for 8x8 if Florida had the same tax structure as places outside Florida? Come on. The AAV he could have got on the open market is way higher than 8M.
Chucky literally hand picked Florida as the place he wanted to go, and signed a contract on a lower AAV than he could have got if he went to free agency a year later. And there are probably many guys who took discounts to sign there.
People who think the lower taxes and good weather aren't big advantages, are kidding themselves.
Nobody’s saying the taxes aren’t an advantage, my pushback is against the notion that it’s the only reason people are staying there (or going there).
It's nice to see Sam turn around his career there. It's a good fit for his skillset. All in all, I'm against offering max term deals to non-superstars (despite his Conn win), but the dollar value here should't age too badly.
And how do they fit all that talent under the cap? The tax savings means they can sign these guys for lower AAV than they otherwise could.
You think Sam signs for 8x8 if Florida had the same tax structure as places outside Florida? Come on. The AAV he could have got on the open market is way higher than 8M.
Chucky literally hand picked Florida as the place he wanted to go, and signed a contract on a lower AAV than he could have got if he went to free agency a year later. And there are probably many guys who took discounts to sign there.
People who think the lower taxes and good weather aren't big advantages, are kidding themselves.
Agreed that taxes and lifestyle are big factors. But I’m not sure that other teams would offer way more. And the AAV would have to increase by over $1M to give him the same total dollars. Before taxes. Do you think teams are spending $10M for Bennett?
It's nice to see Sam turn around his career there. It's a good fit for his skillset. All in all, I'm against offering max term deals to non-superstars (despite his Conn win), but the dollar value here should't age too badly.
Max term tends not to be an issue with any player if they're on the right side of 30. Matt Coronato has one full year under his belt but is locked down for seven years here, that's a smart move IMO
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Agreed that taxes and lifestyle are big factors. But I’m not sure that other teams would offer way more. And the AAV would have to increase by over $1M to give him the same total dollars. Before taxes. Do you think teams are spending $10M for Bennett?
The point is, that's what other teams would have had to pay to attract him away from Florida. Instead, he stays there for 8M/year. No other team has access to the Conn Smythe winner for 8M/year. Only Florida.
But if he went to the open market and made it a bidding war yes, I do think some GM would give him 10M/yr or something close.
Quote:
Originally Posted by FanIn80
Nobody’s saying the taxes aren’t an advantage, my pushback is against the notion that it’s the only reason people are staying there (or going there).
Sounds about right. Glad to have him for the long haul, even if he isn't the biggest regular season performer. That $8 million is going to be a regular 2nd line center salary in about 2 years.
And in 4-5 years when he's so battered and bruised he makes like Bolland?
Look, I get why he is signed, as Florida wants to do a 3-peat. But this will age exceptionally bad.
And how do they fit all that talent under the cap? The tax savings means they can sign these guys for lower AAV than they otherwise could.
You think Sam signs for 8x8 if Florida had the same tax structure as places outside Florida? Come on. The AAV he could have got on the open market is way higher than 8M.
Chucky literally hand picked Florida as the place he wanted to go, and signed a contract on a lower AAV than he could have got if he went to free agency a year later. And there are probably many guys who took discounts to sign there.
People who think the lower taxes and good weather aren't big advantages, are kidding themselves.
If it is just the tax situation as you say then why do players sign in NY, TO, California, Wash? Tax rates in those area's are even higher than Edm, Cal, Col etc.
And in 4-5 years when he's so battered and bruised he makes like Bolland?
Look, I get why he is signed, as Florida wants to do a 3-peat. But this will age exceptionally bad.
Not sure what the problem is, you're worried about it aging badly but they've won two cups already. Did you notice it was different guys stepping up during the playoffs, they should be fine.
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Certainly an interesting read when he re-signed in Florida for just over $4mil AAV for 4 years. He's certainly proved a lot of people in the hockey world wrong in the last few years.
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Originally Posted by SuperMatt18
Good for Sam for sure.
But Florida is really are banking on the 20 game sample being what he brings. Really surprised to see him get $1.4M more than Duclair.
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Originally Posted by Locke
$4.4M?
Who is this guy? What is in the water in Florida?
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Originally Posted by _Q_
Is this really a good deal for Florida? I'm not convinced that Sam will live up to that AAV for the entirety of the contract.
Time will tell I guess.
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Originally Posted by DropIt
Don't think this will age well. Hoping it will though.
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Originally Posted by Geeoff
This is gonna be a bad deal if Bennett plays like he did in Calgary
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Originally Posted by dino7c
Both UFAs for one
Seems like a lot for 10 good games on a new team
Quote:
Originally Posted by Lanny_McDonald
Good for Sam. Glad it was not the Flames taking this one on. Like Duclair, he'll go as far as Huberdeau can carry him. I'm not sure this contract is going to age well for the Panthers.
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Originally Posted by TheScorpion
That's a very big overpay for Bennett. Good for him, glad he got the bag.
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Originally Posted by Manhattanboy
Overrated player gets paid. That’s sports for ya.
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Originally Posted by CsInMyBlood
Im shocked they would offer him that much. Huge over payment that I believe will be regretted as soon as this year. We shall see, just glad it wasnt the Flames signing him.
Good for Sam though, he really got paid.
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Certainly an interesting read when he re-signed in Florida for just over $4mil AAV for 4 years. He's certainly proved a lot of people in the hockey world wrong in the last few years.
Those were just a few, it was pretty bad. That video shows a GM who actually believes in the player. It was interesting to see Craig Conroy talk about recently drafting a player who has the ability to raise his game in the playoffs when games matter.
Certainly an interesting read when he re-signed in Florida for just over $4mil AAV for 4 years. He's certainly proved a lot of people in the hockey world wrong in the last few years.
Just because it worked out doesnt mean it wasnt an overpay based on what he had done to that point...it was a risky contract, they won.
This 8x8 probably wont age as well...maybe you can post this in 8 years. Doubt you have a perfect track record on predicting how contracts age, players develop...the fact you went and quoted all those old posts is pretty lame tbh
Just because it worked out doesnt mean it wasnt an overpay based on what he had done to that point...it was a risky contract, they won.
This 8x8 probably wont age as well...maybe you can post this in 8 years. Doubt you have a perfect track record on predicting how contracts age, players develop...the fact you went and quoted all those old posts is pretty lame tbh
Nah it wasn't risky they had a pretty good idea what they had in the player and they knew how to give him the right opportunity.
Look at Sam Reinhardt, he wasn't playing well in Buffalo but he started playing a lot better when he got to Florida. They seem to have a good management team and know how to support these types of players.
Craig Conroy mentioned that they had to do a better job of knowing what they have in the player, and he also mentioned in the recent interview that they want to be able to do a lot of the things of Florida is doing. He praised Florida for the trades they have made.
Florida saw something in Sam Bennett and took advantage of it, it was a missed opportunity by Calgary. Craig even said they can't afford to give those types of players away.
Last edited by DazzlinDino; 06-30-2025 at 12:38 AM.
