The Legend of Sam Bennett

[DeluxeMoustache]

Originally Posted by GioforPM

That year Bennett’s most common line combination was with Johnny and Monahan.

Very disingenuous. What, 17%? That’s blender level

That year, actually, stats for everyone were more at blender levels than usual too

If you look at line combo stats, you can see most year Gaudreau at 40-60% + with his top line, then other combos with one of those other 2 main linemates

[dino7c]

Originally Posted by DazzlinDino

I think you know what I mean. You just had to watch his play this last season to see that he seemed disinterested and didn't want to play here he also turned down the money.

He turned down the offer and countered at 8x9 by all accounts...that would be a terrible contract. I bet whoever signs him regrets the contract big time, But go Lindholm for a few more games.

[DazzlinDino]

Originally Posted by dino7c

He turned down the offer and countered at 8x9 by all accounts...that would be a terrible contract. I bet whoever signs him regrets the contract big time, But go Lindholm for a few more games.

Yes it would be a terrible contract, we're lucky he didn't sign either offer. I don't think he gets nearly that on the market, but at least he's playing better. He can be a very good two-way player.

[GreenLantern2814]

Originally Posted by DoubleK

Winning makes me feel good.

I don't know whatever this is that does it for you.

It really must suck to cheer for a team on the side, when your true passion is to be the smartest person on the board and wayyyyy smarter than any of Flames Front office/coaching staff.

Other people winning* makes you feel good.

[GioforPM]

Originally Posted by DeluxeMoustache

Very disingenuous. What, 17%? That’s blender level

That year, actually, stats for everyone were more at blender levels than usual too

If you look at line combo stats, you can see most year Gaudreau at 40-60% + with his top line, then other combos with one of those other 2 main linemates

33% actually. And it didn’t work and Bennett played himself down the lineup.

[Jiri Hrdina]

Originally Posted by DazzlinDino

I think you know what I mean. You just had to watch his play this last season to see that he seemed disinterested and didn't want to play here he also turned down the money.

No I actually don't know what you mean. He had several and more productive seasons here than in Carolina.
I have no idea how his situation is similar to Huberdeau or Sam (who also aren't really similar).
I think you are trying to establish a pattern of offensive players having their production fall when they are in, or come to Calgary?
That's certainly not the case with Elias.

[GioforPM]

The league is full of players who found success after a change of scenery. I don't think Bennett's success in going from 30 to 50 points is indicative of a general issue here. Shoehorning other players into that narrative only serves to show that the narrative is just that.

[transplant99]

Originally Posted by GioforPM

33% actually. And it didn’t work and Bennett played himself down the lineup.

This is the part i don't understand from the "Bennett is the best" crowd.

The guy was absolutely mediocre for the majority of his time in Calgary. Its not even an argument. Through multiple coaches, line mates and combinations and multiple raises.

Yes it was clear he had a skill set that ANY team would want, but he really never showed it in any sustained manner as a Flame. Maybe the most frustrating player this club has ever drafted.

Maybe the trade was a wake up call or he just matured into what he has shown in Fla. or (and likely) its a combination of those and other things.

All that is just minutiae in the discussion here though....he simply was not good enough to warrant keeping him any longer than the team did.

Good for him in figuring it out and taking advantage of the situation he found himself in. He is easy to cheer for if you aren't a fan of the opposition in any given game.

He would never of been that here however and its not a small sample size to come to that conclusion on.

[DeluxeMoustache]

Originally Posted by GioforPM

33% actually. And it didn’t work and Bennett played himself down the lineup.

Nonsense. Gaudreau spent 12 pct of his ES time with Monahan and Bennett and got 10 pct of his ES pts. They had 4 GF and 1 GA as a line.

Also, not sure why you are focused on the shortened season where Bennett finally said “#### this, trade me’ and promptly crushed it in Florida


^ and transplant, the trade was a wake up call? Lol
He got fed up and asked for the trade

[transplant99]

Originally Posted by DeluxeMoustache

Nonsense. Gaudreau spent 12 pct of his ES time with Monahan and Bennett and got 10 pct of his ES pts. They had 4 GF and 1 GA as a line.

Also, not sure why you are focused on the shortened season where Bennett finally said “#### this, trade me’ and promptly crushed it in Florida


^ and transplant, the trade was a wake up call? Lol
He got fed up and asked for the trade

He was in trade talks for years before being dealt dude....lol!

[PepsiFree]

Every time he showed it they either moved him around the lineup or tried to curb it. Florida just let him play his game. Whether it was the leadership group or the coaches, who knows, but you had a player who wanted the responsibility and thought he earned it multiple times only to have it taken out from under him.

He definitely would have been that here, and was starting to look more consistently like that under Sutter… and then he was traded.

It’s really no surprise Tkachuk exploded under Sutter and is also far above the player we saw in Calgary. Or are we going to pretend that Tkachuk was messed with either. At least we can’t use the excuse that Tkachuk was never going to be that here, but I bet the same guys saying that about Bennett are the same guys who wanted to trade Tkachuk and Gaudreau before their breakout seasons on account of them not being good enough (never mind what happened after).

And let’s not revise history. Bennett got moved because he asked for a trade. “He didn’t warrant keeping” is nonsense.

[GioforPM]

Originally Posted by DeluxeMoustache

Nonsense. Gaudreau spent 12 pct of his ES time with Monahan and Bennett and got 10 pct of his ES pts. They had 4 GF and 1 GA as a line.

Also, not sure why you are focused on the shortened season where Bennett finally said “#### this, trade me’ and promptly crushed it in Florida


^ and transplant, the trade was a wake up call? Lol
He got fed up and asked for the trade

Because that was the season that was cited as proof of something.

And I'm getting my numbers from Dobber.

[GioforPM]

Originally Posted by PepsiFree

Every time he showed it they either moved him around the lineup or tried to curb it. Florida just let him play his game. Whether it was the leadership group or the coaches, who knows, but you had a player who wanted the responsibility and thought he earned it multiple times only to have it taken out from under him.

He definitely would have been that here, and was starting to look more consistently like that under Sutter… and then he was traded.

It’s really no surprise Tkachuk exploded under Sutter and is also far above the player we saw in Calgary. Or are we going to pretend that Tkachuk was messed with either. At least we can’t use the excuse that Tkachuk was never going to be that here, but I bet the same guys saying that about Bennett are the same guys who wanted to trade Tkachuk and Gaudreau before their breakout seasons on account of them not being good enough (never mind what happened after).

And let’s not revise history. Bennett got moved because he asked for a trade. “He didn’t warrant keeping” is nonsense.

No one said Bennett didn't warrant keeping. But his improvement in Fla is due to a whole bunch of things. And his lack of production in Calgary is as well. A lot of the same people saying Bennett should have been handed the 2C role are ones who talk about players "earning" spots (or saying that guys like Huberdeau should be benched).

[Strange Brew]

Bennett was bad for much of his regular seasons here, I'll let DM and Gio argue about whose fault that was.

But he elevated in the playoffs and I recall some posters arguing that his playoffs really weren't all that great. We saw his potential big time during those times, just a shame it couldn't be happening here.

[DazzlinDino]

Originally Posted by Jiri Hrdina

No I actually don't know what you mean. He had several and more productive seasons here than in Carolina.
I have no idea how his situation is similar to Huberdeau or Sam (who also aren't really similar).
I think you are trying to establish a pattern of offensive players having their production fall when they are in, or come to Calgary?
That's certainly not the case with Elias.

Elias, didn't seem happy here before he went to Vancouver. Now we're seeing him scoring goals again and getting involved and speaking up for his new team. He likened his new team is to being underdogs, I believe there's a reason why these players turned around and walked out of Calgary some of which didn't even want to sign here for more money. Sam Bennett and now Huberdeau blaming their poor play on confidence is a little bit mystifying. Maybe something here went rotten on the inside and the players just didn't want to be here.

[FanIn80]

For all the "Bennett sucked here and it's his own fault" folks... the guy played center his whole life. Can you point to a time when we played him at his natural C position for more than a handful of games or a handful of minutes here and there?

Top-rated C prospect in the draft... we got ahold of him and turned him into a bottom-six winger. Did he get a few shifts with Johnny and Monny one year? He sure did... as a RW.

Succeeds as a C his whole life, sucks in Calgary as a LW/RW, excels again as a C in Florida.... but yeah, I mean it has to be all his fault right? Couldn't possibly be the fault of the only team that tried to make him a winger. Clearly all the other teams that played him at his natural position only got lucky that he played well for them.

I think one person here even said he just matured on his way to Florida, and was like... "this is my last chance, I better play better!"

That makes sense... I can see him sitting on the plane thinking, "I've been a top-six C everywhere I've gone except in Calgary where they made me a bottom-six winger. Florida's already told me they're giving me the #2C spot from day one. Gee, I sure hope I'm better at this top-six C role I'm getting than I was at that bottom-six W role I just had. I mean, I guess I have been a top-six C literally my entite career, so maybe this will be better for me? Gee, I just don't know. I mean, I sucked pretty bad in Calgary and that was 200% my own fault for being a horrible NHL player. I sure hope this change to a role I've only done for like 20 years turns out to be good!"

[Johnny Makarov]

Originally Posted by DazzlinDino

Elias, didn't seem happy here before he went to Vancouver. Now we're seeing him scoring goals again and getting involved and speaking up for his new team. He likened his new team is to being underdogs, I believe there's a reason why these players turned around and walked out of Calgary some of which didn't even want to sign here for more money. Sam Bennett and now Huberdeau blaming their poor play on confidence is a little bit mystifying. Maybe something here went rotten on the inside and the players just didn't want to be here.

He was utter dog crap in the playoffs for us and he played like kyit for most of the year with the Canucks.

It's good he finally manned up for they playoffs to get paid because he wasn't even worth $5mil/season after the regular season.

[Kipper_3434]

Lol Benzo played with Mony and gaudreau more than anyone else because the 4th liners he USUALLY played with were a rotating cast of healthy scratch tweeners.

I think losing his spot on the Backlund line, when Tkachuk joined, really hurt his development.

[Paulie Walnuts]

The Flames making the playoffs in 14/15 season made the management thing the rebuild was over. That was a fun year we exceeded expectations, but they should have realized that type of play was not sustainable.

The Hamilton trade is fine, but the team still needed to develop. Any sniff at the playoffs and it's green light time to start bringing in vets and pushing younger guys down.

Troy Brouwer being touted as some great linemate for Bennett, and that never materializing. So we double down and bring in James Neal, and end it with Lucic who funny enough did have chemistry but we said nahhh.

[Saqe]

Bennett was still young in Calgary, I don't understand the criticism that he didn't shine since he was bounced around the lineup constantly and didn't get to play as center. For a young player trying to find his game in the nhl, that can't be easy.