[Rumour] TSN: Gio injury puts Brodie for RHS forward on hold. Bennett change of scenery

[Nelson]

Hamonic should not be extended for more than two years. I wouldn’t extend him at all. One day soon his play, which has already degraded, is going to fall off a cliff. There are a lot of hard miles on Hamonic, and he is not a fast skater to begin with. A long-term extension would be extremely ugly.

Brodie has a much better chance of being better for longer in my opinion. That said, it depends on the RHS RW. I’d trade him for someone like Kapanen right now because of the long-term payoff.

And that’s the big take home. The Flames have to think long-term. This core is not good enough to win. It’s just not. I think the Flames need to focus on the future.

The red flag is the -20 goal differential. It’s not about the Flames being cold right now. Contending teams don’t have that.

And about Bennett, let’s stop with this Robinson ridiculousness (and also call Czarnik back up) now. I want to see:

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

[calgaryfox]

Originally Posted by Flash Walken

I see no signs from backlund that he doesn't want to be here and plenty of signs that we are just watching the wheels fall off a player who previously struggled to score anyway.

Backlund is taking far fewer penalties than previous seasons...because he cant get close enough to anyone to trip, hold or high stick. He has become just another passenger on the Flames' 2019/20 road to nowhere tour.

[Ozy_Flame]

Backlund seems like a swell guy, but if he's floating out there you get rid of him. I have not seen good things from him at all this season, I think he has peaked. He's 30 years old now, and I imagine he'll continue to regress.

[Leeman4Gilmour]

Originally Posted by Icon

How about Bennett tries to focus on showing he should be a top 6 forward here...

Yup. Monahan and Gaudreau played with 3 RW'ers last night alone. Bennett hasn't been put there lately, but seems like it's a ball he should be seeking to grab and run.

[ComixZone]

Originally Posted by Leeman4Gilmour

Yup. Monahan and Gaudreau played with 3 RW'ers last night alone. Bennett hasn't been put there lately, but seems like it's a ball he should be seeking to grab and run.

1 goal, 2 primary assits in 5 games since the allstar break all while playing in the bottom 6.

He's doing his part.

[powderjunkie]

Originally Posted by Lil Pedro

Nothing in Bennett's game makes me feel confident that he is going to break out here, nor anywhere else in the NHL:

- still takes dumb offensive zone penalties
- is only engaged physically for 7 of the 82 regular season games
- tries to put pucks thru defenders feet and dangle as opposed to going wide
- hits more shin pads than nets
- just lacks hockey IQ at the NHL level

Would be surprised if he's in the league in 3-5 years from now. What a waste of a 4th overall pick.

We should just start calling him Sam 'Confirmation Bias' Bennett.

[FireFly]

Brodie is to Gio as Leopold was to Regher. You don't notice how bad they are because their partner does such a great job covering for them.

[VilleN]

Originally Posted by DeluxeMoustache

And you should want me there, pal.

The Flames sure as heck would have a better coach, for starters. Maybe even an identity, too.

This post made me laugh.

[Travis Munroe]

I still feel we would regret giving up on Bennett. He has been the black sheep in terms of fitting into the lineup and goes extended stretches playing on the 3rd/4th line. When he is bumped up to lines 1 or 2 it is for short periods with a blender of players.
He seems like the type of guy who needs top 6 linemates and needs to have plenty of time to build chemistry as he isn't a easy player to read and when paired with lower end talent, he tries to do too much.

Rinaldo should be an active player in the lineup with the energy he brings.

Hopefully some team is high on Jankowski as I don't believe we regret moving him. You either have that deep desire to win or you don't and with how often Jankowski has gone to the press box, then dressed and showed no extra fire tells me he is a servicable player but not someone you need to focus on.


Serious question....

Gaudreau and Brodie for Brady Tkachuk?

Gaudreaus clock is ticking before I believe he goes east and we lose him for nothing so it isn't an asset growing by the day. His performance this year is well documented which is why I feel a Brodie needs to be thrown in for Ottawa to take the risk.
Brady isn't close to his peak, shares that passion to win as his brother and the flames are essentially able to retool on the fly.

[ComixZone]

Originally Posted by Travis Munroe

I still feel we would regret giving up on Bennett. He has been the black sheep in terms of fitting into the lineup and goes extended stretches playing on the 3rd/4th line. When he is bumped up to lines 1 or 2 it is for short periods with a blender of players.
He seems like the type of guy who needs top 6 linemates and needs to have plenty of time to build chemistry as he isn't a easy player to read and when paired with lower end talent, he tries to do too much.

Rinaldo should be an active player in the lineup with the energy he brings.

Hopefully some team is high on Jankowski as I don't believe we regret moving him. You either have that deep desire to win or you don't and with how often Jankowski has gone to the press box, then dressed and showed no extra fire tells me he is a servicable player but not someone you need to focus on.


Serious question....

Gaudreau and Brodie for Brady Tkachuk?

Gaudreaus clock is ticking before I believe he goes east and we lose him for nothing so it isn't an asset growing by the day. His performance this year is well documented which is why I feel a Brodie needs to be thrown in for Ottawa to take the risk.
Brady isn't close to his peak, shares that passion to win as his brother and the flames are essentially able to retool on the fly.

I just can't imagine Ottawa going down this path. Brady Tkachuk and Thomas Chabot are the foundation for their team going forward, and with Brady's character...he's just too important to a team/organization.

When/If Johnny is moved, I think Buffalo is a prime candidate. That organization is in need of that type of move, and they have the young pieces to make it worth it.

[Toonage]

^^ Doubt Ottawa does that. They won't be close to contending over the life of Gaudreau's remaining deal, and probably aren't looking at extending Brodie for what he'd be after.

[Vinny01]

I don’t think there is a better trade partner for Gaudreau than the Sabres. They are desperately trying to move forward and have some franchise cornerstones in place so Gaudreau makes sense from their perspective. They have the assets the Flames would covet as well

[Leeman4Gilmour]

Originally Posted by ComixZone

1 goal, 2 primary assits in 5 games since the allstar break all while playing in the bottom 6.

He's doing his part.

I think we agree...The only person they haven't given a solid look with those two is myself and Bennett. I think it's time for an extended look. I think he needs to take that ball and run. Hard.

[ComixZone]

Originally Posted by Leeman4Gilmour

I think we agree...The only person they haven't given a solid look with those two is myself and Bennett. I think it's time for an extended look. I think he needs to take that ball and run. Hard.

With how it's going, and with how he's the only one raising his game - why the hell wouldn't they just run with it? Really figure out what Bennett can bring. 27 games left? Give Bennett all 27. Worst case scenario, his stats take a marginal bump and his value maybe goes up a touch. Best case? He produces at a decent clip as the complimentary piece on a line with players better than him - and maybe he drags the give a damn meter up a notch or two for his linemates. Hell, he set Backlund multiple times last night only for Backlund to do what Backlund does. If that's Monahan? Maybe it's a different story.

He's a better option than Rieder/Robinson - by miles.

[Lanny_McDonald]

Originally Posted by Leeman4Gilmour

Yup. Monahan and Gaudreau played with 3 RW'ers last night alone. Bennett hasn't been put there lately, but seems like it's a ball he should be seeking to grab and run.

Bennett has been handed that ball in the past and proceeded to throw it into the 4th row of the stands. I wish people would get over Sam Bennett. He doesn't have the talent or brain to play in the top six - on any team - and doesn't show anything with any level of consistency. Move him for what you can get, and look toward the future. Sam Bennett doesn't have much of a future in the NHL.

[FanIn80]

How are we still talking about Bennett? The only difference between him and an AHL call-up, is that AHL call-ups are actually called up from the AHL.

[Fighting Banana Slug]

Bennett is a decent energy guy, third line winger. I have a hard time believing he will be anything more than that, but I get why he might see things differently and need a change of scenery. If another team sees top 6 potential and is willing to pay for it, great, time for a move. But otherwise, his salary isn't terrible, he is still an RFA at the end of this contract and therefore I don't see any real need to make a move if I were the Flames.

[SportsJunky]

This goes against my better judgement but what the ####, put Sammy Benzo on one of the top two lines for an extended time and see what happens. I believe he is not in that class of player but hey, let's find out.

[ComixZone]

Originally Posted by SportsJunky

This goes against my better judgement but what the ####, put Sammy Benzo on one of the top two lines for an extended time and see what happens. I believe he is not in that class of player but hey, let's find out.

Exactly. At this point, it's just a question of why the hell not. He's out performing pretty much everyone since the allstar break. Our other options are the Blender of Irrelevance featuring Buddy Robinson and Tobias Rieder. I don't think anyone is expecting much, but he's the best option available right now and he's earned it over the last 5 games.

So...why not? Give him some stability on one of the top two lines. He's never been given an extended look. It's always been short bursts during random times. These 27 games are going to be utterly irrelevant if they keep doing what they're doing - so why not try something else?

[Flames Draft Watcher]

Originally Posted by DazzlinDino

Doesn't play like he wants to be here unless you think he is declining?

Or you know maybe Backlund's wife just having a child has caused some sleep deprivation which can affect on ice performance.

This board gets ugly fast when we lose.