Bennett Playing Costs Flames A Year of His Rookie Deal

[JayP]

Originally Posted by Vinny01

That HF thread has some horrible idiot logic by a couple posters. Seriously arguing we are hurting our long term goals by playing Sam now. If the Flames intentionally benched him it would be an absolute disaster. Sam likely would remeber this and force his way out sooner than later. The kid is a gamer and a huge part of our future while being a key part of our present.

The problem is that most people online forget that this isn't Eastside Hockey Manager - it's real life with real human emotions. On paper, it's perfectly logical to say that Bennett should sit out for the rest of the playoffs. But it would seriously damage the relationship of the front office with Bennett and his agent as well as be a big slap in the face to the rest of the team during a second round playoff series. It is impossible to quantify those elements.

As soon as Bennett stepped into the lineup game 1 against the Canucks and started contributing this was a non-issue. If you didn't want to burn a year of Bennett's ELC then he wasn't going to play a playoff game period. And if that happened there's a very real possibility we are watching a Ducks/Canucks game tonight.

[hockey.modern]

Sitting him would set a very bad example to our team, yet it would also kill his morales

[JiriHrdina]

3 reasons why this has been the right decision
1. Without Sam, it is distinctly possible they don't beat Vancovuer
2. These few playoff games a far more valuable than more regular season games
3. Him coming to the end of his ELC faster could actually save the team money in the long-run.

Non-issue and I'm glad the organization has treated it as such.

[CorsiHockeyLeague]

It is a non-issue, you don't send a guy back down now. It's admitting defeat 2 games into a series, which is absurd (though I'm pretty much positive it actually is over, I'm not a member of the organization). The only loss here is that he couldn't play the whole season.

[ForeverFlameFan]

He has been on of the consistent playoff players, not playing him would send a wrong message to not only the team, but the fans.

[Buck Murdock]

I thought 48 games was the biggest milestone due to the arbitration implications.

[Bingo]

Originally Posted by CroFlames

Which thankfully, he genuinely is. In fact, he is top 6 in my book right now. He's obviously still got lots of learning to do, but he's been stepping up when other guys have gone into a rut or lull.

Right now my top six are Mony, Johnny, Hudler, Bennett, Jones, Stajan. Although I don't necessarily want Stajan playing in the top 6, he is certainly been good in these here playoffs.

That's an interesting discussion on its own

I agree that he would be in that mix, and have to keep reminding myself he's 18 with 9 NHL games when he does things that show he's not 100% ready to be in the situation he's in.

The top six forwards?

Stajan has been a warrior, really glad they kept this guy
Gaudreau has been the most consistent of the top 6 offensively

Jones I've liked, he's been great in 3 games and present in the other 5

Monahan and Hudler have been pretty much MIA save for two games where they lit it up. Very strange. I said all season that I expected Monahan to take a step back this season but instead saw him take a huge step forward. The playoffs have had him look like my prediction however. Still thinking injury.

Huder? He's either not a great playoff guy (tight checking / more hitting) or also has an injury (and I don't mean from game one in this series)

and then yeah Bennett and Ferland are the other two that have really stirred the drink, and Bennett has been more consistent of the two.

Take game one ... only goal in a 6-1 loss goes to Bennett. It was a who cares goal, but who's the guy that puts it in? The 18 year old. Can't argue with his stats line certainly.

[CroFlames]

Originally Posted by Bingo

That's an interesting discussion on its own

I agree that he would be in that mix, and have to keep reminding myself he's 18 with 9 NHL games when he does things that show he's not 100% ready to be in the situation he's in.

The top six forwards?

Stajan has been a warrior, really glad they kept this guy
Gaudreau has been the most consistent of the top 6 offensively

Jones I've liked, he's been great in 3 games and present in the other 5

Monahan and Hudler have been pretty much MIA save for two games where they lit it up. Very strange. I said all season that I expected Monahan to take a step back this season but instead saw him take a huge step forward. The playoffs have had him look like my prediction however. Still thinking injury.

Huder? He's either not a great playoff guy (tight checking / more hitting) or also has an injury (and I don't mean from game one in this series)

and then yeah Bennett and Ferland are the other two that have really stirred the drink, and Bennett has been more consistent of the two.

Take game one ... only goal in a 6-1 loss goes to Bennett. It was a who cares goal, but who's the guy that puts it in? The 18 year old. Can't argue with his stats line certainly.

Being quoted by Bingo is like being retweeted by a celebrity. I'm starstruck!

As far as Hudler & Monahan's performance goes, I think a lot of times we overlook the fact that Monahan is still learning a lot as well, and he is literally our go-to guy. That is a lot of pressure with Gio in the lineup, but without Gio, Mony is probably putting too much pressure on himself to save the team methinks and it's affecting his play. I assume the coach has been changing strategies mid-game in the first two games, and trying to adapt to a system mid stride is probably not easy to do for a 20 year old center playing against Getz and Perry. I'm not overly worried about Johnny, Mony or Hudler at this point.

I think Hudler is injured also, but I think the top lines' production woes are a function of being inexperienced vs the vast experience of the Canucks & Ducks.

[Badgers Nose]

I'd like him to compete for the Calder. Flames are not winning this series.

[devo22]

Originally Posted by Badgers Nose

I'd like him to compete for the Calder. Flames are not winning this series.

He can unless he plays 26 games this year ... and I guess that's pretty unrealisticin any case.

[CroFlames]

Originally Posted by Badgers Nose

I'd like him to compete for the Calder. Flames are not winning this series.

If we are playing in game 7 for the Stanley Cup, I'm pretty sure even Sammy would say Calder be damned, and will suit up for game #27.

[ricardodw]

Originally Posted by HUSKER4FLAMES

If Bennett is who we think he is then I would expect a bridge contract and treating him up front and direct like this will pay dividends at that time. Same thing with signing Gaudreau and burning a year last year. These are things players and agents look at from a quality organization.


Play him. Treat him fairly. It will all work out in the end.

Gaudreau was a very different situation. Burning a year of ELC was the only thing that made signing with the Flames a better option than playing another year at College and signing as a UFA with the team of his choice August 2015.

Bennett has no such leverage.

Name a UFA who decided to stay with a club and because they treated him well as 18 year old and gave him a chance.

There are none. unless you count the Oiler kids that signed the 6x6 deals because the Oilers treated them well

The Jets treated Burmistrov and Kane as future franchise players when they were 18.....

The Flames could easily justify that Raymond has been just as nominally effective against the Ducks and that Bennett is physically overmatched. if Ferland is in the line-up the logical guys sitting are Wolf, Raymond or Bennett. Wolf held his own against the Duck big good guys..... he earned a 2nd game.

Bennett was a -2 being on the ice for both the Ducks goals (not the empty netter).


If it was the regular season almost certainly Bennett would be sitting.

[Coach]

So sit him. If Hartley feels his play warrants a view from the top then fine. That's a completely different scenario than sitting him now (and for the rest of the playoffs, how ever long that is) purely because of his contract status.

It's stupid. It's not a way to treat your employees, especially one you value as potential top tier calibre.

[Bingo]

Originally Posted by ricardodw

The Flames could easily justify that Raymond has been just as nominally effective against the Ducks and that Bennett is physically overmatched. if Ferland is in the line-up the logical guys sitting are Wolf, Raymond or Bennett. Wolf held his own against the Duck big good guys..... he earned a 2nd game.

Bennett was a -2 being on the ice for both the Ducks goals (not the empty netter).


If it was the regular season almost certainly Bennett would be sitting.

I don't agree.

The two goals you speak of had
a) Wideman doing the alley oop and Monahan losing his check
b) goal two had Bennett as the deepest forechecker and not responsible for Lindholm and his seeing eye shot

Video would point out he wasn't the guy on either goal and I'm pretty sure they look a little deeper than that stat line

Wolf was good, but didn't have the foot speed to do what he needs to do

Didn't think Raymond did a whole lot

I don't think Bennett has been lights out but I have a tough time coming up with a list of 12 ahead of him.

[handgroen]

Originally Posted by ricardodw

Gaudreau was a very different situation. Burning a year of ELC was the only thing that made signing with the Flames a better option than playing another year at College and signing as a UFA with the team of his choice August 2015.

Bennett has no such leverage.

Name a UFA who decided to stay with a club and because they treated him well as 18 year old and gave him a chance.

There are none. unless you count the Oiler kids that signed the 6x6 deals because the Oilers treated them well

The Jets treated Burmistrov and Kane as future franchise players when they were 18.....

The Flames could easily justify that Raymond has been just as nominally effective against the Ducks and that Bennett is physically overmatched. if Ferland is in the line-up the logical guys sitting are Wolf, Raymond or Bennett. Wolf held his own against the Duck big good guys..... he earned a 2nd game.

Bennett was a -2 being on the ice for both the Ducks goals (not the empty netter).


If it was the regular season almost certainly Bennett would be sitting.

Spoiler!

[Enoch Root]

Three years from now, the Flames are negotiating with Bennett and lobbying for a home town discount.

Bennett's reply?

Remember when you benched me to save a year of ELC? ...

[Freeway]

Does the Flames coaching staff know more about Sam Bennett as an NHL player now than they would have without the 10 games? If so, then it's probably a worthwhile investment.

[GioforPM]

Originally Posted by ricardodw

Gaudreau was a very different situation. Burning a year of ELC was the only thing that made signing with the Flames a better option than playing another year at College and signing as a UFA with the team of his choice August 2015.

Bennett has no such leverage.

Name a UFA who decided to stay with a club and because they treated him well as 18 year old and gave him a chance.

There are none. unless you count the Oiler kids that signed the 6x6 deals because the Oilers treated them well

The Jets treated Burmistrov and Kane as future franchise players when they were 18.....

The Flames could easily justify that Raymond has been just as nominally effective against the Ducks and that Bennett is physically overmatched. if Ferland is in the line-up the logical guys sitting are Wolf, Raymond or Bennett. Wolf held his own against the Duck big good guys..... he earned a 2nd game.

Bennett was a -2 being on the ice for both the Ducks goals (not the empty netter).


If it was the regular season almost certainly Bennett would be sitting.

1. Bennett won't be a UFA any sooner because of this. He will get a bridge contract as an RFA one year sooner. UFAs are irrelevant to this conversation.

2. Whether or not Bennett has been better against the Ducks than Raymond (maybe/matbe not) or Wolf (don't make me laugh) and would sit if Ferland was healthy is also irrelevant because Ferland is not healthy. Plus, Ferland was healthy at the start of game one and Bennett wasn't sitting.

3. And are you really relying on a one game +/- as a stat to support a player playing in a game or not? The same player that's scored the only Flames goal in the series?

[The Ditch]

You play to win the game. Does Bennett give you a better chance with him in the lineup than someone else? I say yes, and because of that he should play.

Not only does it show the team that you are committed to winning, but also potential future signings and draft picks. It's a philosophy, winners in my opinion don't send down players who deserve to be on the team because of contract situations such as this.

Having a young player play well and earn a high paying contract is a good thing, that means he has gone above and beyond, we're not the Oilers.

[wingmaker]

This topic should have been dead days ago.

Let's say Bennett doesn't get a bridge contract but goes right into a long term, high money deal...6 million per like the Oilers. Chances are that if he was playing that third year on his entry level deal, he would hit quite a few of his bonuses, which would probably put his salary between 2 and 3 million. The difference is likely 3 to 4 million dollars on one year of his deal. How is that a big benefit to the Flames? Long term, sure, but for one year? Management will monkey around with him in the second round of the playoffs to have 3 or 4 million dollars extra for one year? That isn't thinking long term, that is thinking small.