Thing is - play him with who? Tkachuk was better, and a better fit with Backlund. Ferland made the top line and looked good. Frolik was about at his peak and had great chemistry with Backlund that year. Backlund was also on shutdown duties and no way Bennett could handle that. They put him with Brouwer, who was supposed to be good, and Versteeg or Chiasson.
GG’s primary job was to win, and he went with the best players in the top 6.
The bolded is the failure of the rebuild in a nutshell. Coming off a season
Of course you always want to win, but in early stages of a rebuild it is more important to develop complete players, even if that means 'rookie mistakes' end up costing you a dozen games.
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Originally Posted by Roof-Daddy
I sure hope the Flames don't bungle the Gaudreau asset the way they bungled so many other assets over the years.
They need to either get him extended as soon as it's possible to a fair extension (not some bloated cap killer contract) or deal him for a decent return before he walks in free agency for sweet #### all.
I wonder if a package around Konecny is more possible this year, than maybe it was in the past. Konecny isn't having as strong of a season, plus Farabee is having a nice little coming out party. Maybe Frost is more expendable as well with Patrick finally healthy.
I've always thought Gaudreau, Bennett for Konecny, Frost would be a nice return to retool the core if it doesn't look like Johnny can get extended at a fair price.
IMO they already have. I was banging the drum hard to move him last TDL, which was the last time to cash in on GM's emotional irrationality , and to get more than a 'rental' return. Even w/o COVID/flat cap, the ED would have loomed large in the upcoming TDL.
My argument at the time was that the Flames were still capable of making/missing the playoffs and winning a round or two, with or without Gaudreau, Brodie, Hamonic, etc., and I stand by it.
No way Gaudreau fetches Konecny alone right now IMO.
If Buffalo was willing to trade Eichel for Monahan and Tkachuk. (Assuming Eichel’s form improved). Do you guys think Gaudreau and Eichel would be effective together? Can anyone comment on how Gaudreau and Monahan have performed when they weren’t on the same line? Thanks
Sam Bennett put up 91 points in 57 games in his last full year of junior, was physical, could skate, and played center. And was ranked highly by pretty much everyone. If they passed on him to draft someone else because of a gut feeling they would have looked like idiots.
Some high picks just don't pan out. It happens every single year. These kids are 18 years old, it's impossible to look into a crystal ball to see what they look like when they've developed years down the road.
I don't blame the Flames at all for that pick. Just sucks it didn't work out.
This is the part the Flames should not care about when drafting.
Gulutzan hammered Bennett on puck management and not taking too many risks with the Puck. It killed his confidence and he stopped trying to do any of the creative stuff that was part of his game. They tried to turn him into more of a North-South grinder.
And I worry the same thing is happening to Dube now. Ward benched him for taking a penalty and for his puck management. And he’s just been brutal since then looking very passive on the ice and like he’s afraid to make a mistake.
Young guys need the freedom to make a mistake and still be trusted next shift.
I will not get into another Bennett conversation, but I have been meaning to discuss Dube.
What you say (bolded) has been a concern of mine for a while. Dube was arguably our best forward for the first 10 or whatever games - he was driving the play and generating a lot of offense. I thought his entire game was really strong. Did he make mistakes? Of course. But it was worth it - his game was a positive.
Then he got sat.
And ever since, he has been an ineffective player. He has joined the ranks of the rest of them, plodding along and accomplishing very little.
The only forward that seems immune to the cancer that currently permeates the room, is Mangiapane.
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I will not get into another Bennett conversation, but I have been meaning to discuss Dube.
What you say (bolded) has been a concern of mine for a while. Dube was arguably our best forward for the first 10 or whatever games - he was driving the play and generating a lot of offense. I thought his entire game was really strong. Did he make mistakes? Of course. But it was worth it - his game was a positive.
Then he got sat.
And ever since, he has been an ineffective player. He has joined the ranks of the rest of them, plodding along and accomplishing very little.
The only forward that seems immune to the cancer that currently permeates the room, is Mangiapane.
The cancer is poor leadership and god awful coaching. But, my personal opinion is that the consistency with which this problem has manifested across multiple coaches must mean it generates from elsewhere and just immediately infects the coaches. IMO it's giordano. He is the voice in the room that wants to play more of a perimeter game. He is the voice that keeps telling younger guys to settle down because not everyone can maintain their aggression or pace. He is the one whispering in the coaches ears to sit players that get out of line (his line.)
IMO it's Gio and whoever is in his camp in the room. Excise them immediately.
This is the part the Flames should not care about when drafting.
I’m pretty sure Bennett was consensus top 4 in that draft according to pretty much anybody in the industry. There may be valid cases for bucking conventional wisdom but this wasn’t one of them.
Ducks put Brendan Guhle on waivers today, wonder if a deal for Sam Bennett could be made around him? 23 year old D man 6’3 former 2nd round pick , good Alberta boy also.
I seriously can not believe that's the same player we're watching today. I'm still a huge fan of his but I'm starting to lose hope
Looks like the same player to me. Low end offensive skill, most goals by grinding. He’s always been able to make the obvious pass. Sam Bennett is not a bad player, he’s just not an offensive player. Even looking at his playoff goals last year many of them were hardworking goals, and some could even be considered lucky. The sooner he realizes what makes him an effective player (cycling, grinding, hitting), he would be a really solid 3rd liner for the rest of his career. Otherwise he’s an enigma who thinks he is an elite offensive player and just isn’t anything of the sort.
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Ducks put Brendan Guhle on waivers today, wonder if a deal for Sam Bennett could be made around him? 23 year old D man 6’3 former 2nd round pick , good Alberta boy also.
I don't have anything to add on the Echiel trade rumours or speculation, but if the Flames did trade for him with what is being suggested, how would this solve the problem of Top 6 right-wingers?
Does Lindholm stay as 2nd line C or move back to the 1st line RW? Dube or Mang? We are still missing a consistent top 6 RW.
Treliving has held on to Bennett for too long. There has been talk recently-ish(Friedman and others, I think) that Treliving actually had some fairly good offers on the table for Bennett, but who knows if they are still there now...
Just put him out of his misery already and trade him. It's not working here.
Every team has busting 1st rounders. Im not getting hung up on Sam Bennett. Its the fact we busted on Bennett, Klimchuck and Poirier and Jankowski and Monahan is a 2C. I mean yikes!
If Buffalo was willing to trade Eichel for Monahan and Tkachuk. (Assuming Eichel’s form improved). Do you guys think Gaudreau and Eichel would be effective together? Can anyone comment on how Gaudreau and Monahan have performed when they weren’t on the same line? Thanks
The only time I can recall them not being on the same line are:
Monahan's rookie year where he was fine. Gaudreau's rookie year for a few games off the hop, until he forced his way up the lineup. After this, they have never been apart when they are both on the roster. The only other extended time was Gaudreau's finger injury - Monahan was pretty good during that stretch. But not as good as when they are together.
