2018/2019 Trade Speculation and Rumors

[GullFoss]

I'm sure at some point we'll see tkachuk-bennett-neal

I'm looking most forward to that day.

[Flames Draft Watcher]

Originally Posted by MisterJoji

You really think 4 years is not enough patience?

Correct. Many players take 5-6 years to reach their full potential and some players take even longer. Those who step in and excel super early like Monahan and Tkachuk are the exceptions, not the norm. Got some spoiled and impatient fans in here but w/e

[djsFlames]

Sam close but no cigar Bennett just needs to start garbaging his way into some points and worry about style points later. For a couple years now he's been that guy that does 90% of what would be a highlight reel goal but fumbles the last touch of the puck consistently. That's why it's easy for many to feel like he has this crazy high ceiling. But he rarely cashes in and now it's just normal to see him almost do things but not do them. If he's going to be anything more he's got to put some Monahan in his game. Get into the dangerous spots on the ice so he can bang one home with minimal effort. He makes life hard on himself to produce by trying to weave through a couple guys to get chances but has nothing left to shoot after all that effort. He needs to simplify the crap out of his game and learn to cheat/anticipate positionally.
I think Bennett is what you get when there's loads of skill and sandpaper but the vision and IQ isn't developed.

[mrdonkey]

Originally Posted by Flames Draft Watcher

Correct. Many players take 5-6 years to reach their full potential and some players take even longer.

Honest question, would you still believe this if Bennett were an Oiler or a Canuck, or would you be having a good laugh about him being another one of their draft busts?

[MisterJoji]

Originally Posted by GreenLantern2814

I didn't forget anything - Mikael Backlund pre-2012 was not a tremendously effective hockey player.



The NHL is hard. Bennett is 21. He's never going to supplant Monahan. Fine. That had been obvious since Day 1 to some of us.



Can he be a useful middle six forward with skill and a physical edge? Yes. There is no shame in being a 30-40 point forward.



It's not like it's going to be cost prohibitive to keep him.

I know. I’m not arguing that, my previous posts state that I am more than fine with Bennett becoming a solid bottom 6 winger. I take issue with the fact that I’m being called impatient/pessimistic when I don’t agree that Bennett may still become a top line player. There is very little evidence that he still has that kind of potential.

[MisterJoji]

Originally Posted by Flames Draft Watcher

Correct. Many players take 5-6 years to reach their full potential and some players take even longer. Those who step in and excel super early like Monahan and Tkachuk are the exceptions, not the norm. Got some spoiled and impatient fans in here but w/e

You keep saying that yet you haven’t given me one example of a player that regressed from his rookie campaign to year four but still became a top line player. Even top defenseman, that take longer to develop, show good early signs of improvement.

[Kybb79]

This team can easily move on from Bennett, Lazar and Hathaway. Dube, Foo, Eat Bread and Klimchuk are chomping at the bit.

[RichKlit]

This is it for Bennett, he puts up or he’s labeled and rightfully so as a bottom six player.

[Lanny_McDonald]

I would be very comfortable shopping Bennett at this point. I think a guy like Dube steps in and fills his role, easily. Bennett could return an important asset in the long term, so I would see what is available.

[Flames Draft Watcher]

Originally Posted by mrdonkey

Honest question, would you still believe this if Bennett were an Oiler or a Canuck, or would you be having a good laugh about him being another one of their draft busts?

Depends completely on the player, their skill set, why they are struggling, etc.

For example I think those who write off Puljujarvi are being completely ridiculous. I still think there's a very good chance he turns out into a good top two line player. I think a lot of the stuff said about him in the E=NG thread is fans hoping he sucks.

Nurse I think still very much has top pairing potential. Again I think some of the stuff said about him in the E=NG doesn't give him enough credit or refuses to see his upside.

Virtanen? Don't have much faith in him. He was criticized for things in his draft year and rushed to the NHL. I'm not sure he has the vision and hockey sense to be an impact top two line player. Craig Button had him ranked as a 2nd rounder in his draft year you'll recall.

Yakupov? He was always a one-way selfish puck hog who could only score individual efforts. In a league (the NHL) where he was below average size and his speed was nothing to write home about he was going to struggle to play the same game. His lack of a two-way game and inability to use his line mates well pretty much spelled his doom.

Each player is an individual case. Bennett has good puck handling, speed, physicality, tenacity. I think his shooting struggles last year had more to do with confidence than anything. I think if he gets on a roll and gains confidence in his own ability you'll see a much different version of him. Like many players Bennett is an instinctive player and his instincts are off when he doesn't have any confidence.

You really can't generalize in life or in hockey as much as people really want to. Fans judge Bennett differently because he was rushed to the NHL but we've seen many players who break out in their mid 20's. Having just turned 22 Bennett still has a lot of room and time to improve and work on his weaknesses. He's already a solid NHLer and not much confidence will be needed to take his game to the next level.

The Bennett discussions on this board are frankly ridiculous. I understand that people had high hopes for him and have been disappointed. Some posters now lash out at him or hate on him because he disappointed them. You really have to take the longer view a lot of the time with young players. Scouts will talk about not being able to properly judge drafts for 5-6 years. Even though Bennett was a top pick the same long term view needs to apply.

But whatever really. I'm not going to convince the haters. The impatient fans clearly think they've been patient enough and now they just want to rage and hate on Bennett. Only time will tell. You can kind of tell how impatient people are when they are hating on Bennett after the 1st preseason game. I think its quite telling about their patience levels isn't it? Some posters really just can't view him objectively either. Too much emotion caught up in his being a high pick and him disappointing them.

Bennett will get some chances this year to impress. Lets see how he does under a much more competent coach playing on a better team.

[Enoch Root]

One preseason game where Bennett played quite well IMO, and there are pages of bust, trade and waiver talk.

Going to be a long season.

[Flames Draft Watcher]

Originally Posted by MisterJoji

You keep saying that yet you haven’t given me one example of a player that regressed from his rookie campaign to year four but still became a top line player. Even top defenseman, that take longer to develop, show good early signs of improvement.

Todd Bertuzzi. Boom.

18 goals in his 1st year
10 goals in his 2nd
13 goals in his 3rd
8 goals in a shortened 4th season
25 in his 5th
25 in his 6th
36 in his 7th
46 in his 8th

And Bertuzzi played a power game much like Bennett does.

Development isn't always linear. Just because a player struggles in his early 20's does not mean he's doomed. That's reality. There's really endless examples of players who broke out in their mid 20's. Just because Bennett went high and entered the NHL early does not mean he can't be one of them

[FBI]

How about Kadri

[MisterJoji]

Originally Posted by Flames Draft Watcher

Todd Bertuzzi. Boom.

18 goals in his 1st year
10 goals in his 2nd
13 goals in his 3rd
8 goals in a shortened 4th season
25 in his 5th
25 in his 6th
36 in his 7th
46 in his 8th

And Bertuzzi played a power game much like Bennett does.

Development isn't always linear. Just because a player struggles in his early 20's does not mean he's doomed. That's reality. There's really endless examples of players who broke out in their mid 20's. Just because Bennett went high and entered the NHL early does not mean he can't be one of them

Was a good try but you’re conveniently omitting injuries again.

Rookie year: 0.51 ppg
2nd year: 0.36 ppg
3rd year: 0.55 ppg
4th year: 0.50 ppg
5th: 0.63 pgg

Or did I miss the memo where goals counted more than assists?

So again, good rookie campaign and then the frequently occurring sophomore slump. Then he returned to the level he was at as a rookie and then exploded in his 5th year and on. I would be ecstatic if Bennett had returned to somewhere around his rookie campaign last year, but he didn’t. He has subsequently regressed every year since then.

Boom.

[icecube]

Originally Posted by Flames Draft Watcher

Correct. Many players take 5-6 years to reach their full potential and some players take even longer. Those who step in and excel super early like Monahan and Tkachuk are the exceptions, not the norm. Got some spoiled and impatient fans in here but w/e

I'm sure people were saying that about Greg Nemisz too before his lousy ass got traded to the Canes for a wooden nickel.

I'm not comparing Bennett to that bust Nemisz but I'd say this year is put up or shut up time for Sam. The patience is gone.

[Flames1217]

Originally Posted by MisterJoji

Was a good try but you’re conveniently omitting injuries again.

Rookie year: 0.51 ppg
2nd year: 0.36 ppg
3rd year: 0.55 ppg
4th year: 0.50 ppg
5th: 0.63 pgg

Or did I miss the memo where goals counted more than assists?

So again, good rookie campaign and then the frequently occurring sophomore slump. Then he returned to the level he was at as a rookie and then exploded in his 5th year and on. I would be ecstatic if Bennett had returned to somewhere around his rookie campaign last year, but he didn’t. He has subsequently regressed every year since then.

Boom.

Olli Jokinen bro.. Just saying

Players are all different, and oppertunity is a huge thing. Bennett needs time to bulk up to play his game.

People on this board forget his rookie season i think sometimes. Guy was a bulldog always infront of the net and causing havoc. Hartley loved Bennett, and praised him. Gully didnt so much.

Wait for the new system, better linemates then make your jugement. Plenty of players take time to develop, especially players like Bennett.

[GreenLantern2814]

Originally Posted by Flames1217

Olli Jokinen bro.. Just saying

Players are all different, and oppertunity is a huge thing. Bennett needs time to bulk up to play his game.

People on this board forget his rookie season i think sometimes. Guy was a bulldog always infront of the net and causing havoc. Hartley loved Bennett, and praised him. Gully didnt so much.

Wait for the new system, better linemates then make your jugement. Plenty of players take time to develop, especially players like Bennett.

Nobody wants to play for anybody nicknamed "Gully". ####ing albatross is what you are.

[Saqe]

Originally Posted by Flames1217

Wait for the new system, better linemates then make your jugement. Plenty of players take time to develop, especially players like Bennett.

Waiting is fine if the player ultimately pans out like Backlund. I could see Bennett still having relatively high value compared to what he has done so far in the nhl but even then, at this point, he wouldn't return anything great.



So might as well hold on and hope for the best. But I think if he has another year where he shows zero progression his value is in the dumpster.

[MisterJoji]

Originally Posted by Flames1217

Olli Jokinen bro.. Just saying



Players are all different, and oppertunity is a huge thing. Bennett needs time to bulk up to play his game.



People on this board forget his rookie season i think sometimes. Guy was a bulldog always infront of the net and causing havoc. Hartley loved Bennett, and praised him. Gully didnt so much.



Wait for the new system, better linemates then make your jugement. Plenty of players take time to develop, especially players like Bennett.

I hope I’m wrong about Bennett, I would love nothing more than to eat a giant plate of crow this season and there is a small chance that he could still develop into a first line winger. But given his pattern of regression, I think the chances are slim to none. And again, if he doesn’t become a top line guy there is nothing wrong with having a player like him as a solid bottom six guy.

[Aarongavey]

Originally Posted by MisterJoji

Was a good try but you’re conveniently omitting injuries again.

Rookie year: 0.51 ppg
2nd year: 0.36 ppg
3rd year: 0.55 ppg
4th year: 0.50 ppg
5th: 0.63 pgg

Or did I miss the memo where goals counted more than assists?

So again, good rookie campaign and then the frequently occurring sophomore slump. Then he returned to the level he was at as a rookie and then exploded in his 5th year and on. I would be ecstatic if Bennett had returned to somewhere around his rookie campaign last year, but he didn’t. He has subsequently regressed every year since then.

Boom.

Markus naslund was pretty underwhelming until he turned 25