The Legend of Sam Bennett

[djsFlames]

Originally Posted by DeluxeMoustache

It’s funny how some people are still hanging on to the bizarre hope that Sam still won’t succeed in Florida.

He's put it together for 1/8th of a season.

Whatever your definition of 'succeeding' is, it certainly differs from mine at least.

[edslunch]

Originally Posted by Wastedyouth

Because his on ice save percentage is also sky high.

But I wanted to highlight the shooting percentage because it is more relevant for my point.

What does save percentage have to do with Bennett?

[DeluxeMoustache]

Originally Posted by djsFlames

He's put it together for 1/8th of a season.

Whatever your definition of 'succeeding' is, it certainly differs from mine at least.

Well, I think that getting 15 points in 10 games in Florida is quite successful compared to 12 in 38 here. If you don’t think that is successful, that is fine but sure would be informative.

A lot of people have observed his handling for years, and suggested that he could be successful if the Flames gave him good linemates, played him at C, and he wasn’t relegated to bottom 6 blender.

It’s not that he is randomly doing well. The logic was laid out, the data was shown, the argument was made. The hypothesis was made.

The prediction was more modest. Nobody expects him to sustain 1.5 points per game. But that *is* pretty ####ing good. It’s not lucky points, the guy has been one of the 3 stars several times

So when people lay out the rationale, and exactly what they expected to happen happens, it is funny to see people still stamping their feet

Just because Calgary screwed up for 6 years doesn’t mean we have to wait another 6 to see that they screwed up.

Let me know when you will be ready to concede that Calgary messed up. What is your bar? Should be interesting.

[Flame On]

Originally Posted by Aarongavey

It is great to see. The Panthers took a different approach and played the former 4th overall pick with some skilled players. It appears that approach is working out nicely for them.

What a revolutionary idea, if only the Flames had competent development personnel, coaching or a GM. But hey the team still won this trade, they got the most important thing of all. And that's to teach a player that he just doesn't get handed things! Eff yah, we're in the business of old school hockey tropes and we sure won that one.

[GranteedEV]

Originally Posted by djsFlames

He's put it together for 1/8th of a season.

Whatever your definition of 'succeeding' is, it certainly differs from mine at least.

Regardless of whatever your definition of "put it together" is, the fact of the matter is that he's had four games of 20+ minutes in his ten as a panther. He had zero in his 400 as a Flame.

You can probably expect him to have a lot more 20+ minute nights in his next 390 games, considering the most winningest coach of this millennium is the one giving him that ice time, on a pretty good team.

[dino7c]

There is no denying the start...there are extremes on both sides in here though. To compare him to ROR and Point already is the same extreme as the people who said he would be out of the league.

Jeff Carter has 8 goals in Pittsburg since the deadline...new team bump isn't just grasping at straws it has happens with guys every year.

I expect him to be in the 40-45 point range next season and I'm considered a hater.

[FBI]

Not just 15 in 10, 21 in last 16.

Now we’re getting into 1/5 of an 82 game season sample size..

[DeluxeMoustache]

Originally Posted by dino7c

There is no denying the start...there are extremes on both sides in here though. To compare him to ROR and Point already is the same extreme as the people who said he would be out of the league.

Jeff Carter has 8 goals in Pittsburg since the deadline...new team bump isn't just grasping at straws it has happens with guys every year.

I expect him to be in the 40-45 point range next season and I'm considered a hater.

But there really aren’t the extremes. Nobody is going ahead and projecting 50 / 70 / 90 points next season that I’ve seen, in contrast to your 40-45 point prediction. (Which is basically that of a pretty average middle 6 player)

Most people here are enjoying the guy getting a top 6 role and that he is capable of producing accordingly.

I know people have been disappointed in his Calgary production relative to draft expectations, but nobody has made a compelling case that he notably and uniquely underachieved considering his deployment

Interesting how you bring up Jeff Carter as a relevant example. Has he ever been considered “successful” in any way before?

And I don’t know any adults who use the phrase ‘hater’

Carry on, though. It’s just bizarre to show up and try to set a claim at a low expectation level. I just really don’t get why

[The Fonz]

It’s weird that Bennett is having success in Florida with a successful coach. I mean, Treliving out-thinks every other GM, and brings in coaches that can out-draw every other coach on the chalk board. Gulutzan did a hockey talk to university kids for christ’s sake, so you know he’s good.

How is this happening. It just doesn’t make sense.

[The Fonz]

In all seriousness, I’m happy fo Bennett. This saved his career.

[DeluxeMoustache]

It has definitely saved his career and also most likely made him several millions of dollars career earnings.

Seriously, a lot of people here were debating whether he was going to be worth his qualifying offer, leaning towards no

[FlamesAddiction]

I wish it was possible to hide a thread. Don't get me wrong, I am not criticizing anyone for posting in it and I have the willpower to not post in it, but just seeing it on the front page is so demoralizing. It's just a constant reminder to how this whole season has been and sucks big time.

This and the Adam Fox thread. There aren't enough remote controls in the world to express my frustration.

[dino7c]

Originally Posted by DeluxeMoustache

But there really aren’t the extremes. Nobody is going ahead and projecting 50 / 70 / 90 points next season that I’ve seen, in contrast to your 40-45 point prediction. (Which is basically that of a pretty average middle 6 player)

Most people here are enjoying the guy getting a top 6 role and that he is capable of producing accordingly.

I know people have been disappointed in his Calgary production relative to draft expectations, but nobody has made a compelling case that he notably and uniquely underachieved considering his deployment

Interesting how you bring up Jeff Carter as a relevant example. Has he ever been considered “successful” in any way before?

And I don’t know any adults who use the phrase ‘hater’

Carry on, though. It’s just bizarre to show up and try to set a claim at a low expectation level. I just really don’t get why

Look harder a couple pages back...#1 center below McDavid tier but in the Stamkos, ROR, Tavares tier

Jeff Carter was an example because he has as many goals with the Pens as he had all season with the Kings. I have already said I think he puts up 40+ next season (is that low?) and than is nothing to sneeze at.

Nobody on this site has ever said hater so go after me about that lol

[DeluxeMoustache]

Look harder? Go after someone? I’m getting less interested the more I hear

Bennett was a highest ever pick, now 24, that became a mismanaged castoff. No fit here but good looking RFA there. Carter has a cup ring and is a back 9 of career rental.

This is pretty much stupid at this point. Carry on

[dino7c]

Originally Posted by DeluxeMoustache

Look harder? Go after someone? I’m getting less interested the more I hear

Bennett was a highest ever pick, now 24, that became a mismanaged castoff. No fit here but good looking RFA there. Carter has a cup ring and is a back 9 of career rental.

This is pretty much stupid at this point. Carry on

You are the one saying "nobody is saying he is blah blah blah my moustache is so cool" just correcting you it is being said. I wasn't just commenting on the voice in my head that compared Bennett to Stamkos ect. because of 10 games.

now post some condescending BS so you can get the last word as usual.

[Saqe]

I'm not going to pretend I believed Bennett was something special when he was in Calgary and I still think he'll top out as a 60 point 2C max. I don't think the sample size is big enough with Florida to draw long term conclusions about his production. Although just bringing up production with Bennett does him a disfavor, he brings so much more than just points.

But the lack of opportunity here is evident and I don't understand the arguments that he would never have worked out here, like what, can't Calgary fit in good players on their roster? You find a way to make good players work and not bury them in the lineup. Or sell them off for picks that have a slim chance of turning out to be a good player in the future.

[UKflames]

Pleased and frustrated to see Sam doing so well in Florida. Isn't it amazing what happens when you play a #4 pick with good players, at their natural position for a sustained period, without the threat of being dropped to the 4th line for one minor error.
He never really got the chance to play with quality players for a sustained period on the flames, and for those that say he did, maybe this is an indication then that our qulity players maybe aren't so quality after all, but that's become pretty clear this season.

[KootenayFlamesFan]

Originally Posted by DeluxeMoustache

Look harder? Go after someone? I’m getting less interested the more I hear

Bennett was a highest ever pick, now 24, that became a mismanaged castoff. No fit here but good looking RFA there. Carter has a cup ring and is a back 9 of career rental.

This is pretty much stupid at this point. Carry on

Do you want a discussion or do you just want to talk down to people? I really can't tell anymore. This is supposed to be fun, but it really doesn't seem like you're having fun. It's okay just to talk about hockey.

[FlamesAddiction]

Originally Posted by UKflames

Pleased and frustrated to see Sam doing so well in Florida. Isn't it amazing what happens when you play a #4 pick with good players, at their natural position for a sustained period, without the threat of being dropped to the 4th line for one minor error.
He never really got the chance to play with quality players for a sustained period on the flames, and for those that say he did, maybe this is an indication then that our qulity players maybe aren't so quality after all, but that's become pretty clear this season.

Bolded part is spot on. If Bennett was going to be in the top 3 regularly, he had to blow Monahan out of the water, and he just wasn't able to do that. Monahan is useless playing down the line-up while Bennett could at least slot in anywhere. The real tragedy here is that the roster isn't flexible enough to give other players an opportunity without totally neutralizing guys like Monahan and Gaudreau that need to be on the top line to be useful.

Theoretically, Bennett could have supplanted Backlund on the second line (when Lindholm wasn't tried there), but Backlund rightfully earned it and showed he could be productive with scrubs. Bennett not so much, which is the difference in Florida. Their second line has more talent than ours. It could basically be our first line.

I guess to make a long story short, I put this failure on how the team is constructed. It really gave coaches little choice for deployment. Bennett was used where he could be without totally making Monahan useless. With better depth on the wings, Bennett could have shown more and wouldn't have had to play on the wing at all.

[Cali Panthers Fan]

Originally Posted by Saqe

I'm not going to pretend I believed Bennett was something special when he was in Calgary and I still think he'll top out as a 60 point 2C max. I don't think the sample size is big enough with Florida to draw long term conclusions about his production. Although just bringing up production with Bennett does him a disfavor, he brings so much more than just points.

But the lack of opportunity here is evident and I don't understand the arguments that he would never have worked out here, like what, can't Calgary fit in good players on their roster? You find a way to make good players work and not bury them in the lineup. Or sell them off for picks that have a slim chance of turning out to be a good player in the future.

That's what I see as well, which is a heck of a lot better than what he would have been in Calgary. Seriously, 4th line winger deployment...WTF? Just insanely bad decision making.