Sam Bennett Value: Have the Flames held on TOO long? OR is he awesome?

[transplant99]

Originally Posted by Kasi

Who could the flames trade for him that would be an upgrade on him? You’re trading a guy who drives play from the third line. Very unlikely anyone you trade for him would be able to reproduce that.

Who knows? You don't nor does anyone else here.

I'm not even advocating he be dealt....but i can certainly be on board with doing so if there is a chance to upgrade goaltending as an example.

[David Struch]

Originally Posted by Kasi

Who could the flames trade for him that would be an upgrade on him? You’re trading a guy who drives play from the third line. Very unlikely anyone you trade for him would be able to reproduce that.

I'd hope Bennett would be packaged for a top 6 centre or goalie, hopefully adding another piece to the Flames "Core."

Gaudreau - Monahan - Lindholm
Tkachuk - ______ - Neal

Giordano - Brodie
Hanifin - Hamonic
Välimäki - Andersson

______

[TOfan]

Originally Posted by Kasi

Who could the flames trade for him that would be an upgrade on him? You’re trading a guy who drives play from the third line. Very unlikely anyone you trade for him would be able to reproduce that.

Don't know. I'm not trying to be glib either, but the only people who know what Sam Bennett's value is around the league are Brad Treliving, his staff, and other GM's around the league who may have had discussions with the Flames.

I'm just speculating that both sides must be asking some big picture questions. If Bennett is going to top out as a play driving third line winger with the Flames, is he happy with that, or does he believe he can be more somewhere else? I suspect he, and his supporters, do.

What does Bennett's next contract with the Flames look like given what we've seen nearing a quarter through the season? If I'm Brad Treliving I'm having a real hard time giving him more than what he's getting right now and I can't believe that would be OK with Bennett.

[Rando]

Originally Posted by David Struch

I'd hope Bennett would be packaged for a top 6 centre or goalie, hopefully adding another piece to the Flames "Core."

Gaudreau - Monahan - Lindholm
Tkachuk - ______ - Neal

Giordano - Brodie
Hanifin - Hamonic
Välimäki - Andersson

______

Bennett for Nylander?

[Bingo]

Why does Bennett need a change of scenery when he's already the team's 6th or 7th best forward?

This isn't a bubble player or a guy that they wish they could send to the minors.

[DomeFoam]

WHY do people want to trade Bennett now? Has he ever looked this good in a flames uniform? I couldn’t believe when I looked at the stats the other day and saw he only had 4 points because I could have seen 12-14 points and been less surprised.

Fact is, points aren’t everything and just when Bennett is finding his game and doing more things positive than negative every night (including beating the piss out of Ian Cole to completely swing the momentum), Bennett is slowly but surely becoming an irreplaceable asset to the team. I don’t care if he has 4 points, if you actually watched the games and his play you’d understand he’s been robbed blind and one shootout whiff (which is not like it missed the net or fanned on) doesn’t change how good he has been.

I would be very upset with a trade right now. Imagine the lineup without him in the bottom six. Guy drives play, pins the opposition in their zone, is the biggest hitter on this team, stands up for his teammates, forces turnovers and brings speed and tenacity to the forecheck. He may not be your typical 4th overall player but he will come cheap next year in a hopefully long term contract for a guy that you NEED come playoff time.

I used to hate Bennett but if you watch the games you know how invaluable he is right now.

Edit: Bennett is also giving this team IDENTITY. I believe he alone turned the tide on the season vs Colorado because he said i’m not going to stand for this ####, we are way better than this. I see more Gilmour in him every game he plays.

[Split98]

Originally Posted by TOfan

Don't know. I'm not trying to be glib either, but the only people who know what Sam Bennett's value is around the league are Brad Treliving, his staff, and other GM's around the league who may have had discussions with the Flames.

I'm just speculating that both sides must be asking some big picture questions. If Bennett is going to top out as a play driving third line winger with the Flames, is he happy with that, or does he believe he can be more somewhere else? I suspect he, and his supporters, do.

What does Bennett's next contract with the Flames look like given what we've seen nearing a quarter through the season? If I'm Brad Treliving I'm having a real hard time giving him more than what he's getting right now and I can't believe that would be OK with Bennett.

That was a very relevant question in 2017, when Troy Brouwer was his all too frequent line buddy. In 2018, I think any positive movement Bennett is going to make isn't going to be spurred on by a change of scenery. If he's a play-driving third line winger, that's on him in 2018. He has just as much a chance to play on the top line as Lindholm does and so far, I've seen him do nothing but grab at the next rung.

TBQH, a trade would be a slap in the face at this point. That's not to say that in a month we can consider this more of the same, but outside of these conversations... I assumed there would be a lot of optimism around Sam Bennett right now. But right now, I don't know that a team is going to give up what it's worth to eject from this stage of his development.

[EldrickOnIce]

Originally Posted by DomeFoam

WHY do people want to trade Bennett now? Has he ever looked this good in a flames uniform? I couldn’t believe when I looked at the stats the other day and saw he only had 4 points because I could have seen 12-14 points and been less surprised.

Fact is, points aren’t everything and just when Bennett is finding his game and doing more things positive than negative every night (including beating the piss out of Ian Cole to completely swing the momentum), Bennett is slowly but surely becoming an irreplaceable asset to the team. I don’t care if he has 4 points, if you actually watched the games and his play you’d understand he’s been robbed blind and one shootout whiff (which is not like it missed the net or fanned on) doesn’t change how good he has been.

I would be very upset with a trade right now. Imagine the lineup without him in the bottom six. Guy drives play, pins the opposition in their zone, is the biggest hitter on this team, stands up for his teammates, forces turnovers and brings speed and tenacity to the forecheck. He may not be your typical 4th overall player but he will come cheap next year in a hopefully long term contract for a guy that you NEED come playoff time.

I used to hate Bennett but if you watch the games you know how invaluable he is right now.

Edit: Bennett is also giving this team IDENTITY. I believe he alone turned the tide on the season vs Colorado because he said i’m not going to stand for this ####, we are way better than this. I see more Gilmour in him every game he plays.

Except by the end of full season #4, Gilmour had about 265 NHL points. Bennett is about 175 shy of that right now, with 65 games to go.

[Hot_Flatus]

Originally Posted by Bingo

Why does Bennett need a change of scenery when he's already the team's 6th or 7th best forward?

This isn't a bubble player or a guy that they wish they could send to the minors.

I don't think he should be traded and definitely find that he has found a way to bring value to the team with his tenacity and effort this year despite not scoring. This is something that would be sorely missed with much of the roster lacking his all out compete level this year.

The big thing is that your 6th or 7th best forward should be on pace for a much better offensive season than 18 points when they are are seeing considerable PP time and is skating with some pretty good line mates at EV strength. It's hard to watch someone fight the puck as much as he does around the net but hopefully he finds a way to break out of it. If he finally found a way to be a 20/20 guy with the game he's started to play he'd be a pretty valuable asset moving forward but that keeps looking more and more like a pipe dream every season.

[Flash Walken]

Is bennett the teams' 6th or 7th best forward?

Gaudreau
Tkachuk
Lindholm
Monahan
Backlund
Frolik
Neal
Dube
Ryan

That's probably how I'd have them ranked.

[PlayfulGenius]

Originally Posted by Flash Walken

Is bennett the teams' 6th or 7th best forward?

Gaudreau
Tkachuk
Lindholm
Monahan
Backlund
Frolik
Neal
Dube
Ryan

That's probably how I'd have them ranked.

It seems that list clearly puts him at #8, at the absolute worst. I can’t see how anyone could have Dube or Ryan ranked higher. THe debate comes from Frolik and Neal, with Bennett, for spots 6-8.

[Kovaz]

I can't help but go back to these three plays when talking about Bennett's production:

https://streamable.com/fnuow
https://streamable.com/ky598
https://streamable.com/9z7vx

Easily should've been 3 points for Bennett, instead he picks up 0. Those 3 plays go the other way, and after 12 games Bennett's sitting at 6 points and starting to turn the corner. Instead all 3 go the other way, he's sitting at a 20 point pace instead of a 40 point pace, and that penalty shot last night is a prime example of a guy who just doesn't believe he can score.

Even if he's got stone hands for the rest of his life he's still an excellent bottom 6 player today. Sure if you can trade him for a way better player you do it, but I think his potential to start producing is higher than his value in a trade.

[Bingo]

Originally Posted by Flash Walken

Is bennett the teams' 6th or 7th best forward?

Gaudreau
Tkachuk
Lindholm
Monahan
Backlund
Frolik
Neal
Dube
Ryan

That's probably how I'd have them ranked.

Yep 6th or 7th

[btimbit]

I don't want them to trade Bennett, I just want people to be more realistic about what he is. I also don't buy that he's just unlucky, good players make their own luck. I think he's just good at creating chances and terrible at doing anything with them. There's still value in that, and he adds to the team on the 3rd line, but when it comes time to renew his contract I sure hope the team recognizes what he is and what he isn't.

There's no reason to think he can't turn it around in the future but until he does can we not jump down the throat of anyone that doesn't like what they see?

[Caged Great]

Bennett reminds me a lot of Paul Byron. A guy who gets tons of great chances and doesn't score on them.

Once that monkey gets off his back, he'll be fine. Would not be surprised if he becomes a 20+ goal scorer in the same manner that Byron did. Too many chances for him not to have some of them start to go in.

[GioforPM]

He should be better than Frolik, but not as good as Neal. Right now those are flipflopped. He's playing about as well as Frolik, but without the points. Playing better than Neal.

Dube is a younger version of Bennett. Lots of nice aspects to the game, just no net yet.

[TOfan]

Originally Posted by PlayfulGenius

It seems that list clearly puts him at #8, at the absolute worst. I can’t see how anyone could have Dube or Ryan ranked higher. THe debate comes from Frolik and Neal, with Bennett, for spots 6-8.

I know Neal is off to a slow/slightly concerning start with the Flames, but Frolik and Neal are well ahead of Bennett in my eyes. The only thing Sam has on either of them is age, and hope. Let's put it this way, if Bennett finds himself signing a multi year deal in his late 20's for 5+/year, that would represent a significant step forward in his development.

I hope it happens, but 'I hope' is a lot different than 'I think', or better yet 'it is'

[jonkaupp]

Ya I don’t know how you possibly put him over Frolik, Neal or Ryan for that matter. Maybe he’s been playing a little better than them so far this year but there is no body of work behind it and he still hasn’t actually produced much of anything. Frolik has played pretty good so far and the latter two you can at least say are adjusting to the new team. Bennett is just continuing being an agitating player who can’t score.

[jonkaupp]

And I don’t think the Flames need to pursue trading him but if his name comes up in a deal for a goalie you definitely do not say no.

[Kybb79]

Bennett has no finish or accuracy on his shot. He fixes that watch out.