The Legend of Sam Bennett

[DeluxeMoustache]

Originally Posted by New Era

Even Sam Bennett. Now go change your shorts.

* Sorry, I had stepped away and missed the voluntary eat crow post

I’m with you, Florida is fun to watch, and it’s obviously their style of play, his teammates, and his ability to fit in that are all coming together.

Loving seeing a team that just pours it on

[tvp2003]

Boy, all seven Panthers fans out there (kidding!) must be absolutely loving this trade. Sam has come in and immediately played big minutes in the top six, PP and PK. All for a second and a prospect.

Don’t know what Florida was missing before but it sure seems to be clicking now.

[TheScorpion]

I hope Florida wins the Cup this year and Bennett scores 30 points along the way.

That's a fun team to watch and I'm glad that market is seeing some success. How has it been 25 years since the Panthers won a playoff series? Madness. Imagine if Calgary had a streak that long.

[Wood]

Originally Posted by PepsiFree

People come into a thread they aren't interested in and keep saying "stop talking about this" or "who cares?" or "I'm not convinced" or "he'll regress!!!" but guess what people care about even less than the performance of Sam Bennett on the Florida Panthers? The individual opinions of some randoms on the internet. Don't like the thread? Don't care about Sam Bennett? Ready to "move on"? Then do it, don't enter, find a hobby, go for a walk. Most of us somehow manage not to click on threads we don't care about, this isn't difficult.

I'm enjoying following this thread and cheering Bennett on, and I'm glad others do as well. I guarantee nobody cares if Bennett's performance convinces you. People are just enjoying the show.

Of course, even the naysayers and doubters are welcome. Have at it. Post your hearts out. But nobody cares but you, and if you're one of the few that's beyond doubting and into the "omg stop talking about Bennett!" folks, honestly just take your own advice because it's looking sad at this point. People aren't going to stop because you want them to, because you're boring and watching Bennett right now is exciting. You're going to lose that battle every single time. But good luck I guess.

Another great game by Bennett! Super happy he's doing well. Tells you something when the most exciting story regarding a player who put on a Flames jersey this season is the guy they traded.

Agree with all of this

I'm just happy for Bennett. I cheer for lots of former Flames once they move on

It just so happens there's a lot to talk about when it comes to Bennett. A lot of fans didn't think Sam was given enough of an opportunity here, and it's immediately looking like thats the case

[ComixZone]

Originally Posted by DazzlinDino

Seems like a good young kid good to see him happy!

Bennett was a great teammate here. It is baffling the Flames treated him the way they did. Hopefully Sutter being here doesn’t allow this to happen again with other players.

Originally Posted by TheScorpion

I hope Florida wins the Cup this year and Bennett scores 30 points along the way.

That's a fun team to watch and I'm glad that market is seeing some success. How has it been 25 years since the Panthers won a playoff series? Madness. Imagine if Calgary had a streak that long.

[Wood]

Originally Posted by tvp2003

Boy, all seven Panthers fans out there (kidding!) must be absolutely loving this trade. Sam has come in and immediately played big minutes in the top six, PP and PK. All for a second and a prospect.

Don’t know what Florida was missing before but it sure seems to be clicking now.

I think coach Q has them playing the right way. Last year was a bit of a transition but they're looking great this season

Panthers have been in the top 5 all season and have been 1st in the NHL at times. After adding Montour and Bennett they look like a legit contender

I hope Florida can go on a run, they're an easy team to root for

[DazzlinDino]

Originally Posted by ComixZone

Bennett was a great teammate here. It is baffling the Flames treated him the way they did. Hopefully Sutter being here doesn’t allow this to happen again with other players.

Pretty sure Sutter was not happy to let Sam go...

[DeluxeMoustache]

Do you think the owners notice things like this?

[ComixZone]

Originally Posted by DeluxeMoustache

Do you think the owners notice things like this?

Yes.

[powderjunkie]

Originally Posted by New Era

Here to eat crow. Bennett has found his groove in Florida. A big part of that groove is getting the puck to Huberdeau and Barkov, but he has been very efficient in doing that. Give him props. He's adapted and become a player that can contribute to a winner. Still glad he's gone, but happy for him finding someplace where he can contribute.

Good on you. But, this'll jinx him for sure; he'll fall back to Earth next game.

Originally Posted by AC

Benny is clearly playing with a lot of confidence, which is great to see.

He still tries a couple toedrags / dekes each game, and seems to be about 50% with them. He's found a great fit in terms of linemates. Most of his points are "simple" hockey plays where he wins a battle and gives the puck to a teammate in a good position which leads to a goal, as if that's somehow a negative attribute. When he's out with Huberdeau and Duclair primarily you can see why that leads to some offense.

He's as physical as ever, separating opponents from the puck and getting the puck back for his team. He and the Panthers as a whole are a lot of fun to watch. It'll be interesting (and exciting) to see this season plays out for him.

He certainly had a below average turnover to puck-on-stick ratio in Calgary, but a lot of that seemed like confirmation bias to me (ie. simply noticing it more with him than others). Same with O-zone penalties.

Now that he has the puck on his stick a lot more, he's a lot better. He's one of the options on the PP slingshot the last game or two. And it was a lot less painful to watch him get the Panthers into the zone than the Flames this year.

[mrdonkey]

Originally Posted by TheScorpion

I hope Florida wins the Cup this year and Bennett scores 30 points along the way.

That's a fun team to watch and I'm glad that market is seeing some success. How has it been 25 years since the Panthers won a playoff series? Madness. Imagine if Calgary had a streak that long.

We're not *that* far behind.

[TheScorpion]

Originally Posted by mrdonkey

We're not *that* far behind.

25 years versus six years?

[ComixZone]

Originally Posted by TheScorpion

25 years versus six years?

3 playoff round victories in 27 years (of existence) for the Panthers.

Flames have 4 playoff round victories in those 27 years, and those same 4 playoff round victories in the last 31 years.

The Panthers also have a much brighter future.

[mrdonkey]

Originally Posted by TheScorpion

25 years versus six years?

Way to be obtuse. You know damn well what I mean.

[Joborule]

So glad Bennett got out of the cesspool that is the Flames organization. Keep thriving kid.

[ForeverFlameFan]

Keep it up Sam!

[DazzlinDino]

Originally Posted by DeluxeMoustache

Do you think the owners notice things like this?

I have said this before, but I am not sure the Flames know what they are building, I think Sutter can help with this. I wish we had a proper coach from the beginning because we wasted a lot of time with coaches experimenting. When you have a coach that has been there before he knows how to get his ducks in a row and can teach young guys how to win. Peters did a lot of good things, but after that we wasted time on coaching hires. Owners must see that now!!

Some Flames getting close to moving on, Flames need to start doing the right things if they want to keep up!

[TheScorpion]

Originally Posted by mrdonkey

Way to be obtuse. You know damn well what I mean.

I really don't. The streaks are in no way comparable.

[kukkudo]

Atta boy Bennett dude is killing it!

[KootenayFlamesFan]

Florida keeps rolling even without my boy Verhaeghe. Lots of depth there, fun team to watch.

Confidence is a wonderful thing, Sam is full of it right now. Interested to see how the next 400 games of his career goes.