[PGT] Ducks 3 @ Flames 4 - Yeaaaaaahhhhhh Baby!!!

[Gaudfather]

Coming off shoulder surgery he should start playing in Kingston.

No way he should be given the nine game cup of coffee until he is 100% back in full hockey shape.

By this time it will likely be mid to late March, and if the Flames are playing well and in the playoff hunt it may make more sense to keep Bennett with his OHL squad, particularly if they are in the playoff hunt as well.

No harm no foul if his NHL debut does not occur until October 2015.

[GirlySports]

Originally Posted by Gaudfather

Kypreos and Mclean, after crapping on the Leafs for 40 minutes today, showed admiration again for the Calgary Flames.

Liked Engelland taking on Jackman (after messing with Gaudreau), mentioning Gio and Brodie and Monahan and Hartley.

Also 2 of their 3 NHL stars last night were Flames (Wideman and Hiller) the other being Bergeron in Boston.

Day by day the Flames are attracting more attention.

As long as the Flames aren't on TSN it'll be ok. Sportsnet is much more honest and with Hrudey there the Flames will always get more love.

[Table 5]

Originally Posted by Textcritic

What if he is too good to send back?

He's physically not ready...his injuries prior to the season were a pretty good sign of that. He has the skills and the desire, but his body is not there yet.

What's the point for rushing anyway? There's already a logjam of young guys on this team to cheer for as a fan, and more ready guys like Poirier waiting in the wings.

Enjoy what you have, and be patient with the next wave. Let's not Nugent-Hopkins the guy.

[automaton 3]

Originally Posted by Textcritic

I know this is really early, but it did just dawn on me: If this team makes the playoffs, theoretically, Sam Bennett could be available to them to use.

So then, when he is healthy again in February or March,what do the Flames do if they are still hanging with the pack? Does Sam Bennett get returned to Juniour regardless of the place of the Flames in the standings? Or does he stay with the team?

Hartley said Bennett would made the team to start the year. The Flames have him up in Calgary where he is getting top level care and conditioning. He participated in the Townsend Tigers game with the Flames.

I would think once healthy he'll practice with the team and they'll re-evaluate at that time. Given his work ethic and drive, I think we'll still see him play for the Flames this year.

[Textcritic]

Originally Posted by Table 5

He's physically not ready...his injuries prior to the season were a pretty good sign of that. He has the skills and the desire, but his body is not there yet.

What's the point for rushing anyway? There's already a logjam of young guys on this team to cheer for as a fan, and more ready guys like Poirier waiting in the wings.

Enjoy what you have, and be patient with the next wave. Let's not Nugent-Hopkins the guy.

I essentially agree with all of this, but I do want to quibble with the last point. I do not agree that the Oilers damaged Nugent-Hopkins by keeping him in Edmonton for the full season in his rookie year. The problem was that they foisted him into a top six role prematurely, and did not do enough to protect him once he did make the team. I honestly don't think he would be any better today if he had spent an extra year in Juniour, because Oilers. One could make the arguement that he would be a better player today if he played for literally any other team, but that is another matter.

[Locke]

I cant say this enough; What a game.

I got off my couch cheering. Hell, my wife cheered when they won and normally when I put the game on she leaves.

Out of the mouths of babes, my wife:

"Wow, that Duck team seems prett good, the Flames must be really good this year."

[GioforPM]

On Bennett, unless there's more injuries, I wouldn't call him up, except at PO time. I think he'd need a lot of conditioning to be Flame game ready. He could make a less fit team, but not the third period monsters that are the Flames.

As between an AHL conditioning stint and junior, if there's still time I would put him wherever he gets the most notice for WJC - even if its just as an injury sub. I assume that's junior.

[Flash Walken]

I would NOT send Bennet back to junior.

In some ways, that shoulder injury may have been the best thing to happen to him at this point.

He's been up all season with Calgary, watching practices, in the room, doing his rehab and exercises alongside the other guys.

I think he's been folded into the roster and participates day to day with team functions etc.

Based on what we saw in Pre-Season, he's NHL ready in the same way Monahan was. When he is healthy, completely healthy, he should be put into the lineup and given an opportunity to play.

I think to some degree that too much time in a lower league can instill bad habits or tendencies into a player's game. I think Bennett is above Junior now and shouldn't go back. He may not be an every day player on the flames Roster, but he should stay up to soak in the mentality of the locker room and to see first hand what it takes to make it as a full-time NHL'er.

I see how things are progressing with Baertschi and Gaudreau and I think of what a tremendous learning experience this must be for Bennett to be right along there with them but without the added pressure of being forced to play.

Keep him up for the whole year.

[Henry Fool]

One can easily imagine a situation where a prospect like Bennett would be the one thing that everyone would be looking forward to. Fortunately the Flames can keep building on what they have right now and don't need to look for any youngster to inject life and excitement into the lineup.

It's telling that people actually almost forget that there's a core piece right around the corner. In a different situation, Bennett would be the main thing fans of a stagnant team would focus on.

Whether the Flames will be in the playoff hunt or not, what's happening is already something they can build on in the future. The further along the team is, the easier it will be for someone like Bennett to enter the lineup. Like I said, it's easy to imagine the opposite situation. We're very lucky that's not the case in Calgary.

[MrMastodonFarm]

I still Kinda pinch myself we drafted Bennett.

[Arya Stark]

Monohan seems to be following the same trajectory as Toews. Early on in Toews career you'd wonder how he went so high then year after year he'd get more and more dominant.

He is also learning how to stick handle a lot better and making more moves. Thought he started the year slow because of a bad flu but has been great lately.

[CKPThunder]

Originally Posted by Textcritic

I essentially agree with all of this, but I do want to quibble with the last point. I do not agree that the Oilers damaged Nugent-Hopkins by keeping him in Edmonton for the full season in his rookie year. The problem was that they foisted him into a top six role prematurely, and did not do enough to protect him once he did make the team. I honestly don't think he would be any better today if he had spent an extra year in Juniour, because Oilers. One could make the arguement that he would be a better player today if he played for literally any other team, but that is another matter.

Here's where I need someone familiar with the CBA to help me out. If Bennett comes back and plays under 9 games with the Flames this year but he plays after the 40th Flames game do the Flames lose a year before Bennett can become a FA?

I'd love to see Bennett play a few games with the Flames this year but if it cost the Flames a year before he could become a FA, then maybe that would be something the Flames would have to seriously think about.

Who knows, maybe Bennett becomes a superstar and the Flames sign him to an 8 year extension after his ELC and this would all become a moot point.

[Locke]

Originally Posted by Flash Walken

I would NOT send Bennet back to junior.

In some ways, that shoulder injury may have been the best thing to happen to him at this point.

He's been up all season with Calgary, watching practices, in the room, doing his rehab and exercises alongside the other guys.

I think he's been folded into the roster and participates day to day with team functions etc.

Based on what we saw in Pre-Season, he's NHL ready in the same way Monahan was. When he is healthy, completely healthy, he should be put into the lineup and given an opportunity to play.

I think to some degree that too much time in a lower league can instill bad habits or tendencies into a player's game. I think Bennett is above Junior now and shouldn't go back. He may not be an every day player on the flames Roster, but he should stay up to soak in the mentality of the locker room and to see first hand what it takes to make it as a full-time NHL'er.

I see how things are progressing with Baertschi and Gaudreau and I think of what a tremendous learning experience this must be for Bennett to be right along there with them but without the added pressure of being forced to play.

Keep him up for the whole year.

After 2 weeks in Adirondack then decide.

Coming off a shoulder surgery, see where the team is and what they need, but dont drop a recently injured kid from junior into the bigtime after 6 months out of the game.

Originally Posted by MrMastodonFarm

I still Kinda pinch myself we drafted Bennett.

To this day I cant believe he was still there.

I swear to God, on days when I fold my tinfoil hat precisely 30 times one way and exactly 15.75 times the opposite way I could swear that Brian Burke somehow got the word out that he overruled Treliving as GM because he dearly, desperately, uncontrollably wanted Leon Draisaitl just so Lowe would leave Bennett on the table.

[Hemi-Cuda]

Originally Posted by getbak

NHL playoff games count against the ELC slide too. The only way they wouldn't burn a year is if he went to Adirondack after Kingston's season ended.

Wasn't aware that playoff games counted, well that's no good. So give Bennett a few games to get a taste of the NHL, but unless he absolutely rips it up right away and makes it impossible to send him down he should go back to junior. It's not fair to expect anything from a rookie coming off an injury when the season is nearing an end

[nik-]

I always forget about Bennett. Then I'll have moments where I say "oh ####, our best prospect isn't even on here right now ... literally the best is yet to come"

Those are fun moments.

[N-E-B]

Originally Posted by Cflames_12.5

Did I miss something or Jesse Lumsden being sour grapes. He's been tweeting since last night that Peter Mahr was forced out of the booth.


J Lumley
‏@lummer1
@NHLFlames for the record - the public knows Peter wasn't ready to leave his job. Your treatment of such an icon is disgraceful

That's not Jesse Lumsden, that's some random dude on twitter.

[Igster]

Originally Posted by Arya Stark

Monohan seems to be following the same trajectory as Toews. Early on in Toews career you'd wonder how he went so high then year after year he'd get more and more dominant.

He is also learning how to stick handle a lot better and making more moves. Thought he started the year slow because of a bad flu but has been great lately.

Yeah. He seems to be scary good. And only getting better. He almost reminds me a bit of Steve Yzerman actually. He always seems to make the right decisions and I never worry about it when he has the puck.

I really can't believe the Flames got to draft him and Bennett. This Flames team is only going to get better.

[Locke]

Originally Posted by N-E-B

That's not Jesse Lumsden, that's some random dude on twitter.

And Peter is 65 years old, retirement age, and called the Flames for 34 years, over half of his life.

I dont think anyone forced him to do anything. I dont think anyone could force him to do anything.

If someone were to say that Ken King (just an example, I have no idea who Peter's actual boss is) was determined to be forcing Peter out of the booth I think we all know which one would be hitting the pavement the next day with their resumé in hand.

[TheDebaser]

It's also a nice feeling when you realize our farm team has been decimated with call ups, Ferland, Jooris, Granlund, Baertschi and Reinhart, yet they've won 8 of their last 9 games. Especially nice when it seems safe to say that Poirier is about as good if not better than Markus Granlund right now and when you see the success Granlund is having in the bigs that's a very enthusing proposition.

We will be really deep and really fast in the coming years. Kind of funny in a way, Burke's always going on about how he wants a big team like Boston and it's turning out that he inherited a really good small fast and skilled team built like Montreal.

[getbak]

Originally Posted by CKPThunder

Here's where I need someone familiar with the CBA to help me out. If Bennett comes back and plays under 9 games with the Flames this year but he plays after the 40th Flames game do the Flames lose a year before Bennett can become a FA?

It's games played by the player that matter, not games played by the team.

A minimum of 40 NHL games played counts as an accrued season under the CBA. A player becomes UFA eligible after 7 accrued seasons or the age of 27, whichever comes first. A player who plays 40 or more NHL games in a season at the age of 18 will be UFA eligible at the age of 25. That's what guys like McKenzie mean when they say GMs are more concerned about the 40 game mark than the 10 game mark.