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

[Shazam]

Gee some forum member ragged on me a while ago when I mentioned that OSHA's eventually going to have to crack down on these sorts of things.

And well here we basically are.

[DeluxeMoustache]

Hmmm. I could have sworn there was a thread that advocated for more threads, less mega threads.

Must have imagined it.

I see this one was retitled

Was kind of hoping that the ‘have the Flames waited too long’ thread would die of natural causes and a ‘Sam Frickin’ Bennett’ thread would have reason to come to life, but the ‘Sam Bennett’s clean hit hurt a guy, let’s have a referendum on checks’ content is keeping it alive, and the retitling is also keeping it alive.

I wonder what Sam Bennett is going to get up to tonight.

[GreenLantern2814]

This is the best hockey Bennett has played since the 2015 playoffs.

[puckedoff]

I think Bennett's play is just what is needed to spark Jankowski's resurgence, and consequently convince the owners to pay for a new arena.

[Flames1217]

Another strong game last night, physical and causing decent havoc around the net. Guy's going to be the highlight of our bottom six this year.

If Johnny is hurt he may end up moving up to replace him for a short stint. Have to hope though that Johnny isn't hurt, guys the motor that runs this teams offence.

[Hackey]

Bennett is playing really well. Hopefully he starts to get rewarded a bit. Confidence seems to be there and hes always having an impact when hes out there. Cautiously optimistic.

[belsarius]

It feels like every game Bennett just keeps getting better. First the physicality, then came better linemate usage and more controlled play. Last night I saw some really good instincts really take over, both right between the hashmarks. The first time was in front of Smith he made a great read and intercepted a pass to create a quick transition. Later in the offensive zone the Bruins were taking their time and usually nothing happens but he flew right into the middle grabbed the puck and got a great chance.

Combine that with he excellent play while replacing Johnny in the third. Just a beast with Monahan and Lindholm for that one shift in particular where they were relentless on puck pursuit and kept the play in the zone and pressure for the full shift.

I don't know if it is Peters, or maybe Neal has taken him under his wing, but whatever it is Bennett is starting to look like the player he was drafted to be.

[ForeverFlameFan]

Originally Posted by puckedoff

I think Bennett's play is just what is needed to spark Jankowski's resurgence, and consequently convince the owners to pay for a new arena.

Coming soon in 2022...

The Sam Bennett arena

[belsarius]

Originally Posted by ForeverFlameFan

Coming soon in 2022...

The Sam Bennett arena

So in 2041 it will be...

The 19 year old Sam Bennett Arena

[flames_fan_down_under]

This years version of Bennett just seems so much more, to use a typical hockey platitude, poised with the puck. Last year it seemed like he was constantly fighting the puck, or chasing the play. He seems dangerous whenever he is on the ice and has his usual piss and vinegar as well. I am very, very, pleasantly surprised.

[Robbob]

The confidence is there for sure. He is always around the net and puck. Production wise he is only sitting at a couple points, but I think his play has directly been responsible for a bunch of goals.

[Bingo]

Originally Posted by Robbob

The confidence is there for sure. He is always around the net and puck. Production wise he is only sitting at a couple points, but I think his play has directly been responsible for a bunch of goals.

Easily ... his screens got Lindholm the game tying goal in Denver and Valimaki his first NHL goal last night.

You can tell by his acceleration that he absolutely loves to hit people too. Last night you could see him gear up when he saw a chance to lay the body.

[foshizzle11]

I really wasn't convinced that GG was ruining him but I am now convinced. Peters realizing the potential that is Sam Bennett is a revelation. Even though he doesn't have a lot of points he has looked great the last few games. Last night when he was on the top line with Monahan and Lindholm, they hemmed the Bruins in their zone a few times and Bennett was a monster at killing the clock.

I don't think he and Janko really go together to be honest. I would rather see Bennett in a top 6 roll whenever it is possible and hopefully not because of injuries to our top 6.

Maybe something like this for a line up:

Gaudreau - Monahan - Tkachuk
Bennett - Lindholm - Neal
Frolik - Backlund - Czarnik
Hathaway - Janko - Ryan

If those top 2 lines aren't producing then you back to the JG-SM-EL, 3M line and SB-MJ-JN and Ryan centering the 4th line.

I think Bennett playing in the top 6 will be a huge boost to this teams offense and difficulty to play against. Having him on a line with Janko and Neal has been ok, I think he can be utilized better though.

[EVERLAST]

Man it's refreshing to read something other than fire Sam into the sun, trade him, he sucks.

Peters getting the most out of Sam isn't surprising at all.
I'm so happy this has happened and I hope it lifts the pressure off Sam because whether he hits thescoresheet or not he is contributing to this team.

I'm still a little irked by the comment someone posted about Sam always trying to play like he's competing 1on 1 with everyone ......this according to someone within the flames organization.

Tell me when every player we had on the team last year was trying to win games alone because glueguns system wasn't working.

Just glad I Bill Eve in the new coaching....it's so good.

[Bonded]

What is a successful season for Bennett, this kind of play and 40 points?

[mrdonkey]

Having watched Bennett play with so much confidence in his game, reminiscent of the nasty power forward we got glimpses of under Hartley, I don't want to say it was Gulutzan's fault...

...But he was definitely a big part of the problem.

[pepper24]

Originally Posted by Bonded

What is a successful season for Bennett, this kind of play and 40 points?

He got 26 points each the past few seasons. 40 points would be a huge success. Looking good so far but caution we have seen this before the past few seasons. Short bursts that tease you and make you think he could be the player you hope then long dry spells. He does though seem really determined so far this year.

Maybe something to do with new coach but also better line mates (more on GM than coach) and probably some personal motivation being last year of contract.

[SeanCharles]

Originally Posted by foshizzle11

I really wasn't convinced that GG was ruining him but I am now convinced. Peters realizing the potential that is Sam Bennett is a revelation. Even though he doesn't have a lot of points he has looked great the last few games. Last night when he was on the top line with Monahan and Lindholm, they hemmed the Bruins in their zone a few times and Bennett was a monster at killing the clock.

I don't think he and Janko really go together to be honest. I would rather see Bennett in a top 6 roll whenever it is possible and hopefully not because of injuries to our top 6.

Maybe something like this for a line up:

Gaudreau - Monahan - Tkachuk
Bennett - Lindholm - Neal
Frolik - Backlund - Czarnik
Hathaway - Janko - Ryan

If those top 2 lines aren't producing then you back to the JG-SM-EL, 3M line and SB-MJ-JN and Ryan centering the 4th line.

I think Bennett playing in the top 6 will be a huge boost to this teams offense and difficulty to play against. Having him on a line with Janko and Neal has been ok, I think he can be utilized better though.

If you're gonna roll those top 2 lines as is I'd say your bottom 6 should be:

Frolik-Backlund-Ryan (shutdown, high FO% line)
Dube-Jankowski-Czarnik

[Bingo]

Originally Posted by pepper24

He got 26 points each the past few seasons. 40 points would be a huge success. Looking good so far but caution we have seen this before the past few seasons. Short bursts that tease you and make you think he could be the player you hope then long dry spells. He does though seem really determined so far this year.

Maybe something to do with new coach but also better line mates (more on GM than coach) and probably some personal motivation being last year of contract.

I'd argue his points came in burts last year but he was way more consistent than his 2nd year. This year he's on pace for the same amount of points ironically, but hopefully they start to come.

[Robbob]

Originally Posted by Bingo

I'd argue his points came in burts last year but he was way more consistent than his 2nd year. This year he's on pace for the same amount of points ironically, but hopefully they start to come.

Last year he got 13 of his 15 points in a span of games from Nov 27th to Dec 29th (14 games). So yeah, spurt.