Sam Bennett Value: Have the Flames held on TOO long? OR is he awesome?

[CliffFletcher]

Originally Posted by Stanley

I personally think Bennett should play #3C consistently but this coaching staff has a constant boner for Derek Ryan so...

Yeah, it's infuriating that the coaches give that slot to a player who is unquestionably better at every aspect of the game except fighting and taking undisciplined penalties.

Can Bennett boosters explain why he isn't trusted to kill penalties, despite being a pretty good skater?

[DeluxeMoustache]

Originally Posted by New Era

I'll bust this post out again as it is important to put Bennett's "big playoff performance" into context.
.

...
Sam Bennett is not a good hockey player. He is low skilled and doesn't have a hockey IQ to speak of. He has been given opportunity and hasn't produced with any level of consistency. There is a reason why he is playing on the 4th line, that is where his skill level is. I pray he demands a trade just so we can end these arguments once and for all.

So much effort you put in to that. It’s adorable

The guy is strong on the puck, gets the puck to teammates, and goes to the net. Backlund’s goal the goalie wants back, he dishes it and goes for the screen

Blind backhand passes by Tkachuk (of which he attempts many, and of which many fail) are skill plays and when Bennett succeeds with them he is lucky because he is just a guy with low hockey IQ

I found your interpretation of his play in the playoffs to be pretty pathetic agenda driven nonsense. No offense

[Gaskal]

Guys just think of it this way.

Love is to Monahan as is New Era is to Bennett. That's all. Nothing more.

Originally Posted by CliffFletcher

Can Bennett boosters explain why he isn't trusted to kill penalties, despite being a pretty good skater?

I dunno if any of us would want him out there PKing in the first place over our current units TBH. You have Backlund-Lindholm and Ryan-Jankowski as your PK forwards. Backlund, Lindholm and Ryan are all better defensively and Janko has a stupidly long reach that can be quite disruptive to point plays.

[Lanny_McDonald]

@DeluxeMoustache

Video doesn't lie.

Bennett boosters are going to have to explain why his ice time continues to flag? Ice time of 8:12, 11:50, 10:57, 11:07, and 11:52 in his last five games - 8:12 in the last game against Vegas! - certainly paints a picture of a player the coaches and team doesn't have a lot of confidence in.

Also, why wasn't there a lineup out the door for Bennett's services at the deadline? A "proven playoff warrior" certainly should have drawn a ton of attention and had a plethora of high value offers? Why hasn't Treliving been able to find a suitor for this star player whose only sin has to be mishandled by three successive coaches? Couldn't be that all the other teams see Bennett in the same light so many here are finally starting to see him in? Even at his "highest level of success" (and I jest) Bennett was still getting the least amount of time from the coaches, because they knew he was likely to hurt the team when they didn't have an extra player on the ice. Going to have to try and explain that one away.

[DeluxeMoustache]

Originally Posted by New Era

@DeluxeMoustache

Video doesn't lie

One thing you are right about

1. Bennett passes to Backlund and screens the goalie perfectly timed with the shot. Seems like decent hockey IQ on that play
2. Backhand pass away from the opponent competing for the puck, to an open teammate. How is that not good situational awareness. And the kind of play that people love Tkachuk for (which again, he tries often, and then often unsuccessfully)
3. Bennett wins a mini battle to put the puck where Monahan can capitalize. The defender didn’t let him get the shot away. But he did not lose that puck battle then, did he?
4. He makes the pass and goes to the right place. Sure, it goes off his skate. So what? Lots of guys have the puck deflect off them in close. Key thing is he is tenacious, goes to hard areas, and is in the right place. Nothing wrong with that hockey IQ
5. Bennett takes the hit on the boards to feed the puck to Brodie in a high danger area.

Congrats. Video doesn’t lie.

He was the most effective forward in the playoffs.


Your other comments are addressed in other posts.

[dissentowner]

I almost hope Bennett gets traded so that when he gets a fresh start, gets his confidence back, and gets an opportunity in some teams top 6 and breaks out into a 70 point PF we can watch New Era struggle with it. No player in this history of this organization was mishandled worse than Sam Bennett.

[Fire of the Phoenix]

Originally Posted by dissentowner

I almost hope Bennett gets traded so that when he gets a fresh start, gets his confidence back, and gets an opportunity in some teams top 6 and breaks out into a 70 point PF we can watch New Era struggle with it. No player in this history of this organization was mishandled worse than Sam Bennett.

Lol Bennett might not get 70 points over the rest of his career the way he is trending. I agree the flames haven't exactly slotted him in the top 6 regularly but the problem is that there are better options and the team is trying to win now. No one is trying to sabotage Bennett's career, he's just not that good of a hockey player and regresses each year. I think they should move him while he might still be worth something.

Sent from my SM-G960W using Tapatalk

[Johnny Makarov]

Originally Posted by dissentowner

I almost hope Bennett gets traded so that when he gets a fresh start, gets his confidence back, and gets an opportunity in some teams top 6 and breaks out into a 70 point PF we can watch New Era struggle with it. No player in this history of this organization was mishandled worse than Sam Bennett.

70 points a season!?? hahaha Not even if he played every minute with McRib and Bratwurst.

More likely situation. He gets a chance on a top line, they figure out he has boysenberries for hockey IQ and he disappears from the league to play in Europe.

[dissentowner]

We will see.

[nik-]

Someone said that Bennett is going to get 70 points in a season.

[dissentowner]

Originally Posted by nik-

Someone said that Bennett is going to get 70 points in a season.

Yes, I totally remember people saying Michael Backlund would never make the NHL and was a bust. Will Bennett hit 70 points someday? Possibly, we won't know for years. I think the ability and talent is there. I am sure there are others who agree but people tend to be sheeple and won't buck the popular trend, especially on on message board.

[nik-]

Sheeple! People who don't think a player who has no hockey IQ and has never shown improvement will miraculously double his season point total are "sheeple'

[Fire of the Phoenix]

Originally Posted by dissentowner

Yes, I totally remember people saying Michael Backlund would never make the NHL and was a bust. Will Bennett hit 70 points someday? Possibly, we won't know for years. I think the ability and talent is there. I am sure there are others who agree but people tend to be sheeple and won't buck the popular trend, especially on on message board.

Sam Bennett? Are we talking about the same player here? I'd bet my house against him ever getting 70 points. Sure bet.

[SportsJunky]

Did a poster just trot out "sheeple"? Fantastic!

[dissentowner]

Originally Posted by Fire of the Phoenix

Sam Bennett? Are we talking about the same player here? I'd bet my house against him ever getting 70 points. Sure bet.

I bet William Karlsson was also a sure bet to never score 40 goals. There are no sure things.

[Fire of the Phoenix]

Originally Posted by dissentowner

I bet William Karlsson was also a sure bet to never score 40 goals. There are no sure things.

And that was a huge anomaly, he shot like 25%. He's a solid player but more of a 50-60 point guy. It's looking more and more like Sam's rookie season was his anomaly. After 350+ games and 6 years we have a pretty clear picture of what Sam Bennett is. I think it would be huge for him if he could get back to his rookie season and make it a standard but to me I honestly see a 3rd/4th line 20-25 point player, nothing more. He probably wont even be qualified after his current contract, assuming the Flames still hold his rights. They'd be too worried about a raise in arbitration for a player that doesn't deserve it, and that they can't walk away from.

[Itse]

Originally Posted by Fire of the Phoenix

And that was a huge anomaly, he shot like 25%. He's a solid player but more of a 50-60 point guy. It's looking more and more like Sam's rookie season was his anomaly. After 350+ games and 6 years we have a pretty clear picture of what Sam Bennett is. I think it would be huge for him if he could get back to his rookie season and make it a standard but to me I honestly see a 3rd/4th line 20-25 point player, nothing more. He probably wont even be qualified after his current contract, assuming the Flames still hold his rights. They'd be too worried about a raise in arbitration for a player that doesn't deserve it, and that they can't walk away from.

I'm sure Bennett could still get close to 40 points as a second line player today.

Which is kind of the problem.

[Fighting Banana Slug]

It would be incredible if Sam could net 20-20:40 for the Flames in a year. That seems like an optimistic view now, sadly. Would have been the minimum expectation 5 years ago.

[Lanny_McDonald]

Originally Posted by dissentowner

I almost hope Bennett gets traded so that when he gets a fresh start, gets his confidence back, and gets an opportunity in some teams top 6 and breaks out into a 70 point PF we can watch New Era struggle with it. No player in this history of this organization was mishandled worse than Sam Bennett.

Hahahahaha! Sam Bennett, 70 points in a season. I bet he won't get 70 points over the rest of his career. That's three years production based on his past track record. Hell, that's five years production at his current clip. 70 points in a season? Only if he's chained to McDavid for every shift.

If Bennett gets traded he'll get a very short string to produce then likely be out of the NHL in two years. If someone trades for him this summer he'll have one year to prove his contract has value, otherwise the other team will walk away from him and let him go UFA. Someone will then pick him up as a bargain basement contract, give him limited opportunity, and then send him to the minors when he doesn't produce and provides no value. There are better players for less money out there.

[The Yen Man]

I'm a huge Bennett supporter but 70 points is a preposterous goal. If he can score more than 40 points, I'd already consider it that a win for us Benny boosters. I love the guy, but I just don't see him having enough hockey iq to ever get 70 points. I'd really love to be proven wrong, however.