Quote:
Originally Posted by AustinL_NHL
If you wouldn't immediately say "F*** yes" if Eichel or MacKinnon were offered straight up for Bennett, than you're also incompetent.
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Did I say I wouldn't?
I said Eichel or MacKinnon is the kind of offer that it would take for me to trade Sam Bennett.
Our winger woes are beyond overstated - between Tkachuk and Gaudreau we have two wingers who could have anywhere between 60 and 85 points. With Backlund we have an elite 2C who is our de facto 1C. Versteeg produces as the right hand shot on our power play. Right now Jagr also adds to our RW depth. Another winger would be a fantastic luxury but we building around the wings is just fundamentally flawed. You need a franchise center.
So yeah, we are in no position to be trading any of Bennett, Monahan, or Jankowski for anything short of a similar aged elite young player who will decisively make Backlund our clear cut #2C. MacKinnon or Eichel could be that. Not many players could.
Tavares? He's amazing and yet he is a pending UFA.
Stamkos? Cap hit makes that trade impossible unless Brouwer+ go back that way. Realistically not even a possibility in fantasyland. Also injury prone.
Toews/Kopitar? Barely under 30 and both look to be declining on 10+ million cap hits.
Nylander? He plays RW with Matthews. Calling him or Sam Reinhart or Leon Draisaitl "centers" is well off base considering how rarely they play down the middle. And I doubt any of these guys at center push Monahan out of De Jure #1C or Backlund out of De Facto #1C so you are getting back another #3 Center. How much success will these guys have playing sporadic minutes like Bennett?
Rakell? He hasn't even shown as much down the middle as Bennett. All his success has come at wing with Getzlaf. Which again, is not the position separating us from a contender.
Besides the above - most of the U30 players who can do for Calgary what we want Bennett to eventually do (force Backlund down the actual depth chart by sheer ability) are also under 23. There are a select few that are not, namely Kuznetsov, Seguin, Johansen, T.Johnson, Kadri and Scheifele. Coincidentally (or not) all six had struggles of their own around Bennett's age...almost as if the center position requires some patience. Trading Bennett for guys that pretty much reinforce the need for patience with Bennett seems ironic to me. Beyond ironic even.
The other option is eschewing the need to return a forward for Bennett. A defenseman over 23? Yeah I might trade Bennett for Erik Karlsson or PK Subban and see if Dougie returns a #1C. But that's a whole lot of roster shuffling which still potentially leaves us with Monahan at de jure #1C which is still unideal.
As long as Backlund is our de facto #1C we should probably hang on to Bennett because that position is too vital. Yeah, Eichel and MacKinnon would be gross overpays for Bennett but that's what it should take. They among a few other left shots are the only kind of guys who
1) Are the right age
2) Become de jure AND de facto #1s ahead of Mony / Backs
3) Ultimately make the next decade+ of Flames hockey more likely to be full of deeper playoff runs than what Bennett could offer over that decade
You trade from a position of strength - not many would look at our #1/#2C and say we are a top 10 team down the middle. Maybe not even top 15. I like our center depth but overall when opponents are rolling Getzlaf/Kesler, Eichel/ROR, Matthews/Kadri, Crosby/Malkin, Kuznetsov/Backstrom, Stamkos/Johnson, Seguin/Spezza, McDavid, Kopitar/Carter, Thornton/Couture, Barkov/Trochek - you have bigger problems rolling Backlund/Monahan than who the right wing for Gaudreau is.
