What if Sam Bennett has another good playoff performance?

[Erick Estrada]

Personally I feel this will be the time to sell high on Bennett. I don't think the team should be actively trying to trade him but if a team is interested and it's part of a package that brings back a top prospect or skill player it's something the GM should seriously consider. I love what he brings in the playoffs but the Flames really need an infusion of talent in their top six forward positions.

[Lanny_McDonald]

What Bennett is bringing in this post season is what he needs to bring every game. There's the rub. Bennett doesn't play like this all the time. In fact, he plays like this a very small percentage of his games. That is the problem. I agree with Erick that you sell high. This team is way too inconsistent and they need to find players who will bring it consistently, and not only when certain times of the year roll around. This applies to Bennett, Gaudreau, Monahan, and anyone else that has a problem with consistency.

[ComixZone]

Bennett is finally getting an opportunity to play up the lineup and is seizing it. He’s finally not being saddled with Jankowski while playing on the wing.

Circumstances matter, and Bennett is proving that.

[Moneyhands23]

Benett has never been paired with a player like Dube and allowed to play center. Honestly I very much look forward to seeing a whole year of them together next year.

[Enoch Root]

If it wasn't for Bannett's heart, this team would be showing almost no heart at all right now. He has been their best forward in the playoffs.

Yes, the team needs more top 6 talent, but Bennett is not the guy to move to get it. We need MORE Bennetts, not less.

As for bringing that style of play all season, it is simply impossible - no one can do it. Ferland was the same. You can't crash like that every night or you will always be injured. But you need it in the playoffs. Some guys are playoff guys, that is just the way it is.

Having said that, I think a full season with him and Dube is going to be very interesting. I would not be surprised at all to see Tkachuk moved to their line, making that the 2nd line, and having Backlund lead the 3rd line.

[Calgary4LIfe]

Of course Bennett 'doesn't play this way in the regular season' - no player can. We all witnessed Ferland demolish the Canucks that year - I argue that he hit harder than Bennett, but the hit counts weren't actually much different at all. However, how long did Ferland last? He limped into the 2nd round and was out in a game or two. No player can consistently play this physical every game. It sure hurts to get hit, but it also hurts to hit, especially when players start being very aware of you on the ice and start protecting themselves by putting up their sticks or side-stepping you and making you get more boards than body.



I don't WANT Bennett to play this physical in the regular season outside of the games when things get really chippy and the Flames need to send a response. I want Bennett to play with this calibre of players (or better!) and have him contribute more on the scoreboard. He is capable of it. Is he a bona fide 1st line superstar franchise centre? No, probably not, but he shouldn't be toiling on the 4th line and playing 10 minutes with scrubs either.


Now I do think that Bennett has the burden of responsibility for how things turned out for him in Calgary thus far, but I also have seen him continuously have a rather short leash on him too. Hartley was a good coach for him. Gulutzan wasn't. Peters wasn't. I am not sure if Ward is or not yet - there is no coach in the entire NHL that would be limiting Bennett's minutes right now as he has so obviously been the most consistently impactful player on Calgary's roster (the heroes thus far have been him, Dube, Lucic, Brodie and Talbot, IMO).



Next season, I want him to be put into a situation to succeed. Give him solid linemates. Give him decent minutes and opportunity (especially PP time, and he was good on the PK before too from what I remember). Don't be so quick to bench him. Give him consistent linemates to build chemistry with. Not every prospect coming into the league develops the same way.


Flames invested a 4th overall pick in Bennett. I think they should invest a little bit more by giving him a bit more opportunity WITH patience, and seeing what happens. This team will be so much stronger and dangerous if he can be part of a line that chips in offensively more regularly in the regular season as well as the playoffs.



As for 'selling high' on him - sure, I can see that argument. However, if I am Treliving, I would realize that my success is directly tied to the team's success and how far they go in the playoffs. Anyone think he has been even half the GM that Fletcher was? Win a cup or two, and maybe you start having that conversation. You don't even start having that conversation with '2nd overall in the NHL but out in the first round' type of success.


If I am Treviling, I am trying to keep all my players that perform well in the playoffs, especially when they have a history of doing so. If I want to make a trade to better my team, I am using anyone that regularly doesn't perform well in the playoffs, and trying to acquire players that do - or players without too much history in the playoffs even. Sure, you get a Ryan O'Reilly without too much success suddenly winning the conn-smythe, but every year you see the same players around the NHL having strong playoffs every season, and you also see the same players being disappointing.


If I am Treliving (or Ward), I do not want to trade away my playoff performers. I want to keep them, I want to help them in return as much as possible by putting them in a position to succeed, I want to surround them with quality players as well that hopefully can also produce when it matters most, and I want to eliminate as much fat from the roster as possible that disappoint. There is no way that I am 'selling high' on Bennett. I want to find another Bennett or two from different teams as I try to win the cup, not a President's Trophy that nobody is going to really care about.

[Steve Bozek]

Originally Posted by Calgary4LIfe

Of course Bennett 'doesn't play this way in the regular season' - no player can. We all witnessed Ferland demolish the Canucks that year - I argue that he hit harder than Bennett, but the hit counts weren't actually much different at all. However, how long did Ferland last? He limped into the 2nd round and was out in a game or two. No player can consistently play this physical every game. It sure hurts to get hit, but it also hurts to hit, especially when players start being very aware of you on the ice and start protecting themselves by putting up their sticks or side-stepping you and making you get more boards than body.


I don't WANT Bennett to play this physical in the regular season outside of the games when things get really chippy and the Flames need to send a response. I want Bennett to play with this calibre of players (or better!) and have him contribute more on the scoreboard. He is capable of it. Is he a bona fide 1st line superstar franchise centre? No, probably not, but he shouldn't be toiling on the 4th line and playing 10 minutes with scrubs either.


Now I do think that Bennett has the burden of responsibility for how things turned out for him in Calgary thus far, but I also have seen him continuously have a rather short leash on him too. Hartley was a good coach for him. Gulutzan wasn't. Peters wasn't. I am not sure if Ward is or not yet - there is no coach in the entire NHL that would be limiting Bennett's minutes right now as he has so obviously been the most consistently impactful player on Calgary's roster (the heroes thus far have been him, Dube, Lucic, Brodie and Talbot, IMO).



Next season, I want him to be put into a situation to succeed. Give him solid linemates. Give him decent minutes and opportunity (especially PP time, and he was good on the PK before too from what I remember). Don't be so quick to bench him. Give him consistent linemates to build chemistry with. Not every prospect coming into the league develops the same way.


Flames invested a 4th overall pick in Bennett. I think they should invest a little bit more by giving him a bit more opportunity WITH patience, and seeing what happens. This team will be so much stronger and dangerous if he can be part of a line that chips in offensively more regularly in the regular season as well as the playoffs.



As for 'selling high' on him - sure, I can see that argument. However, if I am Treliving, I would realize that my success is directly tied to the team's success and how far they go in the playoffs. Anyone think he has been even half the GM that Fletcher was? Win a cup or two, and maybe you start having that conversation. You don't even start having that conversation with '2nd overall in the NHL but out in the first round' type of success.


If I am Treviling, I am trying to keep all my players that perform well in the playoffs, especially when they have a history of doing so. If I want to make a trade to better my team, I am using anyone that regularly doesn't perform well in the playoffs, and trying to acquire players that do - or players without too much history in the playoffs even. Sure, you get a Ryan O'Reilly without too much success suddenly winning the conn-smythe, but every year you see the same players around the NHL having strong playoffs every season, and you also see the same players being disappointing.


If I am Treliving (or Ward), I do not want to trade away my playoff performers. I want to keep them, I want to help them in return as much as possible by putting them in a position to succeed, I want to surround them with quality players as well that hopefully can also produce when it matters most, and I want to eliminate as much fat from the roster as possible that disappoint. There is no way that I am 'selling high' on Bennett. I want to find another Bennett or two from different teams as I try to win the cup, not a President's Trophy that nobody is going to really care about.

I’m liking Bennett in the playoffs, but you can’t ignore the lack of production during the regular season, along with the stupid penalties. Fill up a team with players like that, and you don’t make the playoffs, and you never get to see the few games where they play well. As Duhatschek says, managers make big signing mistakes in focusing on a player’s big playoff performance after poor regular seasons.

And I don’t buy the arguement that Bennett’s regular season performance has been brought down by playing with Jankowski and another plug. He’s been tried on all the lines. You could just as easily say Jankowski’s been brought down by only playing with Bennett and another plug.

Despite all that, I’m much more impressed by Bennett’s performance this year than last year. I’m hoping this is a sign that he’s finally turned the corner and will be a full season contributor at a high level.

[dustygoon]

Originally Posted by New Era

What Bennett is bringing in this post season is what he needs to bring every game. There's the rub. Bennett doesn't play like this all the time. In fact, he plays like this a very small percentage of his games. That is the problem. I agree with Erick that you sell high. This team is way too inconsistent and they need to find players who will bring it consistently, and not only when certain times of the year roll around. This applies to Bennett, Gaudreau, Monahan, and anyone else that has a problem with consistency.

I don’t really care. There are players that get you to post season. Then there are players that are rare that win in the post season. Since the restart Bennett has been more impactful than a JG. Simple. He needs to be kept and paid.

[Enoch Root]

Originally Posted by Steve Bozek

I’m liking Bennett in the playoffs, but you can’t ignore the lack of production during the regular season, along with the stupid penalties. Fill up a team with players like that, and you don’t make the playoffs, and you never get to see the few games where they play well. As Duhatschek says, managers make big signing mistakes in focusing on a player’s big playoff performance after poor regular seasons.

And I don’t buy the arguement that Bennett’s regular season performance has been brought down by playing with Jankowski and another plug. He’s been tried on all the lines. You could just as easily say Jankowski’s been brought down by only playing with Bennett and another plug.

Despite all that, I’m much more impressed by Bennett’s performance this year than last year. I’m hoping this is a sign that he’s finally turned the corner and will be a full season contributor at a high level.

Duhatchek's comments are in reference to one-hit-wonders of the playoffs.

And no one is arguing that you should have 20 Bennetts - just like you can't have 20 of any type of player. A team has different players for different roles.

[Lanny_McDonald]

Originally Posted by dustygoon

I don’t really care. There are players that get you to post season. Then there are players that are rare that win in the post season. Since the restart Bennett has been more impactful than a JG. Simple. He needs to be kept and paid.

You need players that produce in both the regular season and the post season. Full stop. Consistency is the most important thing a player can have working for them. I can forgive 10 off games a season, but not 70 and then turn it on for 5-10 games in the post season. I like the way playoff-Bennett plays, but he has to play that wall all the time. If he can't, and can only bring that for short stretches, then move on. Bennett is basically our version of Cal Clutterbuck, who manages to play a physical and annoying role most every game. If Bennett can't play that same role with the same level of consistency, then move on and bring in a guy that has some consistency to his game. Let's not even talk about pay, as that is a bad topic for Bennett.

[mennoknight]

I want Sam Bennett to be bad in the regular season is a spicy take

[Erick Estrada]

Originally Posted by dustygoon

I don’t really care. There are players that get you to post season. Then there are players that are rare that win in the post season. Since the restart Bennett has been more impactful than a JG. Simple. He needs to be kept and paid.

Bennett has been the team's best forward for back to back playoffs but where has that got the Flames? The reality is that the only way this team will make any progress towards winning a cup is if players like Gaudreau, Monahan, Tkachuk, and Lindholm raise their games. This offseason will be like last in that many hope that Bennett can parlay a strong playoffs into a better regular season but I doubt that's going to happen as he is what he is at this stage of his career. If he can be a piece in a trade that upgrades the top 6 I think you have to seriously consider it as the team's failings have largely been centered around the top 6 simply not producing when it counts.

[Mattman]

2020-2021

Tkachuk - Bennett - Dube

[Enoch Root]

Career playoff points for the Flames' top 9 (Games / Pts / PPG):

Monahan:.. 28 / 21 / 0.75
Bennett:.... 28 / 18 / 0.64
Gaudreau:. 28 / 18 / 0.64
Dube:........... 8 / 5 / 0.63
Lucic:...... 122 / 76 / 0.62
Lindholm:.... 13 / 7 / 0.54
Backlund:.. 28 / 13 / 0.46
Mangiapane: 13 / 5 / 0.38
Tkachuk:..... 15 / 5 / 0.33

The thing that strikes me about this list is that this playoffs aligns exactly with the career numbers. So we probably aren't talking one-off performances here.

The problem I have, looking at that list, is not Bennett (he's the brightest spot), it's the 2nd line. Other than Backlund's PK, the 2nd line has been invisible in this series, and their stats say the same thing career-wise.

[Enoch Root]

Originally Posted by Mattman

2020-2021

Tkachuk - Bennett - Dube

Gaudreau - Monahan - Lindholm
Tkachuk - Bennett - Dube
??????? - Backlund - Mangiapane
Lucic - Ryan - Reider

[Enoch Root]

Toffoli would be a good add to that:

Gaudreau - Monahan - Lindholm
Tkachuk - Bennett - Dube
Mangiapane - Backlund - Toffoli
Lucic - Ryan - Reider

[MacDaddy77]

Originally Posted by Enoch Root

Gaudreau - Monahan - Lindholm
Tkachuk - Bennett - Dube
Pelletier - Backlund - Mangiapane
Lucic - Ryan - Reider

Pelletier to grab that spot maybe?

[Enoch Root]

I doubt he's ready

Hopefully he will be ready the following year, after we lose a player in the expansion draft

[Strange Brew]

Originally Posted by Enoch Root

Career playoff points for the Flames' top 9 (Games / Pts / PPG):

Monahan:.. 28 / 21 / 0.75
Bennett:.... 28 / 18 / 0.64
Gaudreau:. 28 / 18 / 0.64
Dube:........... 8 / 5 / 0.63
Lucic:...... 122 / 76 / 0.62
Lindholm:.... 13 / 7 / 0.54
Backlund:.. 28 / 13 / 0.46
Mangiapane: 13 / 5 / 0.38
Tkachuk:..... 15 / 5 / 0.33

The thing that strikes me about this list is that this playoffs aligns exactly with the career numbers. So we probably aren't talking one-off performances here.

The problem I have, looking at that list, is not Bennett (he's the brightest spot), it's the 2nd line. Other than Backlund's PK, the 2nd line has been invisible in this series, and their stats say the same thing career-wise.

It's a small sample size but the two players that jump out from that list are Bennett and Tkachuk.

[GranteedEV]

Originally Posted by Enoch Root

Toffoli would be a good add to that:

Gaudreau - Monahan - Lindholm
Tkachuk - Bennett - Dube
Mangiapane - Backlund - Toffoli
Lucic - Ryan - Reider

Originally Posted by Enoch Root

Gaudreau - Monahan - Lindholm
Tkachuk - Bennett - Dube
??????? - Backlund - Mangiapane
Lucic - Ryan - Reider

I honestly wouldn't touch Tkachuk - Backlund - Mangiapane. They're our best line when they're going. Part of me wants to put Monahan in that Lucic role, he has a really similar skillset minus the physicality and brings a ton of finish. Gosh it would be nice to have arguably eleven top nine forwards (assuming Lucic and Ryan don't decline hard).

Tkachuk - Backlund - Mangiapane
Toffoli - Lindholm - Gaudreau (Johnny on his offwing with two righties, I would really like to see this for the quick release opportunities)
Monahan - Bennett - Dube (the center line)
Lucic - Ryan - Reider