ECF: Florida Panthers (A3) vs Carolina Hurricanes (M3) - PANTHERS WIN 4-1

[Groot]

Originally Posted by dammage79

Who cares what Bennett does in the regular season, he proven quite robustly that he is everything a team looks for in a player when the games matter most.

But you need to get to the playoffs first. Sam Bennett, with his 51 career high points in the regular season, is a complimentary player. If the Flames never traded Bennett, we wouldnt have signed Kadri. If you swap Bennett for Kadri last season, do the Flames make the playoffs? I think they would be further out.

Bennett plays a hard game and succeeds in the playoffs because opposition needs to focus on Barkov, Reinhart, Tkachuk etc which gives him mismatches that he thrives on. He has never and will never be a 1C. It's a combination of Bennett improving his game in a new environment and Flames not having the structure for an ancillary player like him to thrive.

[GioforPM]

Originally Posted by Mathgod

He was put on the wing, not center. Johnny & Mony mostly played with each other and used Bennett as a decoy on that line.

And Bennett never got to play on the powerplay.

And what coach did that? Could it be this Sutter fella who people insist was going to change Bennett’s game?

BTW, he did play on the powerplay, but usually on the second unit, under Sutter.

I’ve no doubt they could have developed him better. But I also think he never kicked the door down and the trade motivated him a lot.

[dino7c]

Originally Posted by Jiri Hrdina

It’s not that they lost in game 7 and how they lost
Just two putrid games on home ice

Like Carolina?

[FBI]

Who were the posters saying Bennett still sucked a few years into Florida? I remember we were battling them for years in that thread…

[Rhett44]

Originally Posted by Paulie Walnuts

Wonder if Rod is fired.

I doubt it. The Panthers are such a deep team and have been dominating most teams in the playoffs lately.

[TrentCrimmIndependent]

How exactly does a team drop 14 ECF games straight

Where's the pride?

They seem to live to punch other teams tickets to the finals.

[Locke]

Originally Posted by TrentCrimmIndependent

How exactly does a team drop 14 ECF games straight

Where's the pride?

They seem to live to punch other teams tickets to the finals.

I dont really know what to say. Watching the game, it didn't feel as though they were unlucky or bullied or anything...they just got handled.

Hall and Staal were invisible, you can only lean on Burns for so much, but they only generated a few really good chances and Bob was ready for them.

[Mathgod]

Originally Posted by GioforPM

And what coach did that? Could it be this Sutter fella who people insist was going to change Bennett’s game?

BTW, he did play on the powerplay, but usually on the second unit, under Sutter.

I’ve no doubt they could have developed him better. But I also think he never kicked the door down and the trade motivated him a lot.

Ward.

[GioforPM]

Originally Posted by Mathgod

Ward.

Look at Bennett’s usage under Sutter. It was the same. The narrative doesn’t hold.

When he was traded Sutter had him with Ryan and Leivo and still not at centre.

[Jiri Hrdina]

Originally Posted by TrentCrimmIndependent

How exactly does a team drop 14 ECF games straight

Where's the pride?

They seem to live to punch other teams tickets to the finals.

The issue is perhaps they lack elite players
They tried to address that with Rantanen and it backfired

[Mathgod]

Originally Posted by GioforPM

Look at Bennett’s usage under Sutter. It was the same. The narrative doesn’t hold.

He played hardly any games with Sutter as coach. Besides, Mony was struggling at the time because he was trying to play through an injury, and Sutter had yet to split up Johnny & Mony. Bennett should have been tried as the center between Johnny & Chucky for at least 15-20 games. Instead, they gave up on him and shipped him off to Florida.

[GioforPM]

Originally Posted by Mathgod

He played hardly any games with Sutter as coach. Besides, Mony was struggling at the time because he was trying to play through an injury, and Sutter had yet to split up Johnny & Mony. Bennett should have been tried as the center between Johnny & Chucky for at least 15-20 games before giving up on him and shipping him off to Florida.

He had several games with Sutter who didn’t move him up the lineup or try him on the first unit. Sutter used him on the 4th line. As LW with Ryan and Leivo.

Whenever Ward put Bennett on the top line, the numbers sagged.

[Mathgod]

Originally Posted by GioforPM

He had several games with Sutter who didn’t move him up the lineup or try him on the first unit. Sutter used him on the 4th line. As LW with Ryan and Leivo.

Whenever Ward put Bennett on the top line, the numbers sagged.

I don't know, but it sure seemed like the decision to move Bennett was already made before Sutter had a chance to coach him. It would makes sense why he was buried on the 4th line if that was the case.

The team never appeared to be willing to give him a chance to center a line with good line mates.

[GioforPM]

Originally Posted by Mathgod

I don't know, but it sure seemed like the decision to move Bennett was already made before Sutter had a chance to coach him. It would makes sense why he was buried on the 4th line if that was the case.

The team never appeared to be willing to give him a chance to center a line with good line mates.

It was a two way street.

[Mathgod]

Originally Posted by GioforPM

It was a two way street.

Can't fault a guy for not capitalizing on opportunities he was never given.

[GioforPM]

Originally Posted by Mathgod

Can't fault a guy for not capitalizing on opportunities he was never given.

That’s a false narrative - had had chances. And he didn’t push upwards either.

But I’m tired of relitigating stuff that’s 5 years past, when no one is around from that team anymore anyway.

[FlamesAddiction]

Bennett was going up against prime Backlund, plus Monahan and Lindholm for center. It was hard to justify moving any of those three to accommodate Bennett at the time. All three were simply better and more productive. Putting Bennett on the wing made sense, but unfortunately he couldn't or wouldn't rise to the challenge. Sometimes players just aren't a fit, which is too bad. Our loss, Florida's gain. I just hope the Flames can take advantage of a situation like this just like the Panthers did.

[traptor]

The thing about Carolina is they live in the constant churn.

They havn't really committed to a core, so it keeps them fresh but maybe this keeps them from pushing over.

They have many years yet to get over that hump. Aho is their window and he's only 27.

[traptor]

Originally Posted by FlamesAddiction

Bennett was going up against prime Backlund, plus Monahan and Lindholm for center. It was hard to justify moving any of those three to accommodate Bennett at the time. All three were simply better and more productive. Putting Bennett on the wing made sense, but unfortunately he couldn't or wouldn't rise to the challenge. Sometimes players just aren't a fit, which is too bad. Our loss, Florida's gain. I just hope the Flames can take advantage of a situation like this just like the Panthers did.

Yeah it made sense in a strictly win the next game attitude. But even then lots of people thought he was being mismanaged. It was definitely short cited, and we haven't had a history of giving young guys very much runway, especially at center, which is probably why we can never develop one properly.

[DeluxeMoustache]

Originally Posted by GioforPM

He had several games with Sutter who didn’t move him up the lineup or try him on the first unit. Sutter used him on the 4th line. As LW with Ryan and Leivo.

Whenever Ward put Bennett on the top line, the numbers sagged.

What is your end game here?

Putting a top draft pick in a position to succeed is a good thing. Florida got what Calgary could not figure out and put him as a 2C .. with consistent line mates , and it worked

Calgary at best put him on the top line 25 percent of the time as a winger, when he is a C… what a vote of confidence

Sutter ? He worked for a bit then got run out of town.

Who cares. Bennett had potential, Calgary mismanaged it, Florida made the fix seem pretty ####ing simple, and unless things go really wrong he will be a key piece in 3 straight Cup finals

It’s a heck of a lot more than his side of the street that needed to be kept clean. So much that he had it with Calgary and said ‘#### this, trade me’

Line mate stats, it’s all been beaten to death, at this point you are hanging on to a narrative that is just weird