[News] With the 4th overall pick the Flames select C Sam Bennett

[Red John]

Wow. As someone already mentioned, this team goes 20+ years without finding a top center then drafts two guys in two years who project to be just that.

Obviously it's still early, but amazing early returns. Going to be interesting to see if Bennett forces his way onto the team this year or goes back to junior.

[djsFlames]

Originally Posted by SuperMatt18

It's funny. A couple years later now we have all these young center prospects and the real dark horse is Jankowski.

If the guy can put all the tools he has together the Flames will be lethal at center ice.

No the funny thing will be if/when the Flames end up top 2 next year and draft one of Eichel or McDavid.

Meanwhile Jankowski brings his game together, and we find ourselves in a giant Colorado-grade cluster#### down the middle with Eichel/Bennett/Jankowski/Monahan.

When we have to push our centers to the wing because we're too deep at the position... now that would be a good day.

[codynw]

Calgary drafting Sam Bennett is the second best thing to happen today. The first is Vancouver drafting Virtanen. Lol

[Hockey_Ninja]

Originally Posted by Otto29

Buffalo couldn't even get the whole "tank for #1" thing right...you had to know they would screw this up too

But they didn't screw it up. Reinhart has been a highly rated prospects for years now and he went where most projected him to go.

[combustiblefuel]

Originally Posted by codynw

Calgary drafting Sam Bennett is the second best thing to happen today. The first is Vancouver drafting Virtanen. Lol

But Sam being drafted happened before that so technically is in reverse order.Vancovet would have taken the first action ... So drafting Sam would actually be the best thing to happen today.

[The Fonz]

Love that we were all hoping (wishful thinking) for the Oilers to draft Draisaitl.... and they did it!

[The Fonz]

Bennett
Monahan
Backlund

I feel like that could be the top 3 center depth in the league for the next 10 years

[combustiblefuel]

^^^IMO
Monahan
Bennet
backlund

[The Fonz]

Originally Posted by combustiblefuel

IMO Monahan
Bennet
backlund

I think Bennett's speed and tenacity puts him as our eventual #1 (3-5 years from now).

In the meantime...

Stajan
Monahan/Backlund
Monahan/Backlund

[AcGold]

Originally Posted by The Fonz

I think Bennett's speed and tenacity puts him as our eventual #1 (3-5 years from now).

It will come down to line chemistry and which players are the best together. Maybe Bennett will be best suited on the second line with Ferland and Colborne, who knows.

[GoJetsGo]

Monahan and Gaudreau looked magical together last July... but it might just be that Johnny is going to make anyone he plays with better. He seems to be that type of player. I think he could slot in with Monahan or Bennett and it would be a dynamite line.

[The Fonz]

God damn I'm excited about our forward depth. Incredible.

We've come a long way from Chucko and Nemisz.

[Gaskal]

Bennett would be best with Gaudreau. Heck, he even sets up a pass after being tripped in the last highlight reel the way Johnny did at the Worlds

http://youtu.be/svCdZiNfbvg

[djsFlames]

I truly think we are one big piece on the RW from being set for our core up front. Then we'll just need to let these kids grow and develop.

And perhaps one big top 2 d-man from being pretty well set on the back end to pair with Gio and then eventually Brodie.

After that it's just shuffling around the supporting players.

[handgroen]

Originally Posted by Gaskal

Bennett would be best with Gaudreau. Heck, he even sets up a pass after being tripped in the last highlight reel the way Johnny did at the Worlds

http://youtu.be/svCdZiNfbvg

i keep thinking about
poirier-bennet-colborne

talk about a gritty line

[Locke]

Awwwww....Yiss!

[AcGold]

The potential for a core that lasts 10 years is there now. Monahan, Bennett, Gaudreau, Backlund, Poirier, Brodie, Colborne should be around for a while and hopefully some of Reinhart, Wotherspoon, Kanzig, Ferland, Jankowski and Baertschi reach their potential.

Draft one big right winger and one big right shooting dman and we are golden. Having such a solid foundation is invaluable and much more than many teams have and will make it so one guy doesn't have to carry the team. If we can fill out the top 2 lines for a decade the rest will be easy to stopgap.

[OutOfTheCube]

Originally Posted by Otto29

Buffalo couldn't even get the whole "tank for #1" thing right...you had to know they would screw this up too

At the TSN interview the first thing GMTM said was "He was our number one". So I guess they did get it right.

[getbak]

Originally Posted by handgroen

i keep thinking about
poirier-bennet-colborne

talk about a gritty line

I don't know if Colborne has enough edge to his game. I was thinking Poirier-Bennett-Ferland. That has the potential to be a line you love to have on your team, and every other team hates to play against. Three little a-holes.


Another potential option is a modern version of the Gilmour-Mullen-Patterson line from the Cup team. Bennett and Gaudreau could fill the Gilmour and Mullen roles, with Colborne/Ferland/Poirier in Patterson's Selke nominee role.


So many possibilities. Please live up to the hype, kids.

[SHOGUN]

I think I love this pick more than Monahan. Maybe it's because I was so invested in this draft for the past few months, but I really feel we got the best player in this draft.