2018/2019 Trade Speculation and Rumors

[RichKlit]

Outliers don’t prove anything.

[David Struch]

Originally Posted by Strange Brew

Thing is 3rd/4th line players tend not to stay with one team for that long. You generally don’t sign them to long team deals and they are at risk of getting pushed out of the lineup by younger cheaper options.

So if that is indeed what Sam Bennett ends up being, I’m guessing it’s likely he doesn’t spend that much longer in Calgary.

We should really have a poll. Opinion seems really split down the middle.

Do you believe Sam Bennett improves this season?
(works his way up from 4th line, re-signs next season)

Or

Do you believe Sam Bennett loses his roster position or is traded away?
(does he become expendable as early as this season?)

[Strange Brew]

Originally Posted by David Struch

We should really have a poll. Opinion seems really split down the middle.

Do you believe Sam Bennett improves this season?
(works his way up from 4th line, re-signs next season)

Or

Do you believe Sam Bennett loses his roster position or is traded away?
(does he become expendable as early as this season?)

I like the idea of a poll but I would tweak the question a little. I do believe Bennett will improve but maybe not to the point he becomes a core piece. At least that was the intent of my post, namely that non core players tend to change teams a lot more often no matter where they were drafted.

[kyuss275]

If you have a poll I would want ...” Bennett asks for trade” as an option

I think he will be better, but I don’t think he has much chance of breaking into top 6 any time soon. Flames have committed to their top 6 long term.

[Captaincanada80]

Every thread turns into a Bennett talk and I find it exhausting, rarely engaging and myself not even reading posts that he is the main topic.

For god sakes he’s has 3 seasons under his belt before most players have even played an NHL game. Just let him mature and enjoy the rest of the team while he develops.

[FurnaceFace]

Originally Posted by Enoch Root

One preseason game where Bennett played quite well IMO, and there are pages of bust, trade and waiver talk.

Going to be a long season.

I vote for a generic ”Flames whipping boy” thread or similar which contains all the complainers and defenders.

[pokerNhockey]

Originally Posted by MisterJoji

You conveniently ignored the fact that Backlund was often injured following his rookie season. He went from 0.34 -> 0.27 -> 0.50 -> 0.51 points per game. Bit of sophomore slump but he still progressed nicely afterwards. Bennett has gone from 0.47 -> 0.32 -> 0.30 points per game.

Bennetts ice time and quality of linemates also dropped because the Flames didn't have anyone to put with him, while Backland's improved.

Also age doesn’t equal NHL experience. I give more leeway to an older guy like Foo because he played 3 full years in the NCAA (improving every year) and a full year in the AHL (similar to Jankowski) where as Bennett is going on year 4 in the NHL. We haven’t seen what Foo can do at the NHL level which gives him more potential. Sam has now given us multiple years of underperforming (relative to draft position) at the NHL level.

I would agree that makes his potential more unknown. But is "younger and has already accrued more "NHL Experience" with flashes of dominance like when he had a 4 goal game" not a better bet for who has the higher potential overall?

Foo's potential is a nice narrative, but realistically if he ends up anywhere near the level Bennett already is, it is a major win. Age is useful tool to know if they are likely to improve, stay the same, or loose a step. Foo is farther along that curve then Bennett and so more likely to be what he is.

Also I feel like there is a lot or room still between underperforming 4th overall expectations and overperforming for someone who was undrafted.

[MisterJoji]

Originally Posted by Aarongavey

Markus naslund was pretty underwhelming until he turned 25

Not really. He had 52 points in 66 games his 3rd year in the league at age 22.

[Enoch Root]

Originally Posted by MisterJoji

Not really. He had 52 points in 66 games his 3rd year in the league at age 22.

And maybe Sam will too!

[MisterJoji]

Originally Posted by pokerNhockey

Originally Posted by MisterJoji


Bennetts ice time and quality of linemates also dropped because the Flames didn't have anyone to put with him, while Backland's improved.




I would agree that makes his potential more unknown. But is "younger and has already accrued more "NHL Experience" with flashes of dominance like when he had a 4 goal game" not a better bet for who has the higher potential overall?

Foo's potential is a nice narrative, but realistically if he ends up anywhere near the level Bennett already is, it is a major win. Age is useful tool to know if they are likely to improve, stay the same, or loose a step. Foo is farther along that curve then Bennett and so more likely to be what he is.

Also I feel like there is a lot or room still between underperforming 4th overall expectations and overperforming for someone who was undrafted.

Sam Gagner once had an 8 point game, no one mistakes him for an all star. If your using such a small sample size then technically Foo is on pace for a 41 goal NHL season.

And again being saddled to poor linemates is a false narrative. He spent 5% of his time with Brouwer and Jankowski did fine with Hathaway as his winger.

[MisterJoji]

Originally Posted by Enoch Root

And maybe Sam will too!

Hopefully, but you also missed the point where it was his 3rd season and he had improved his numbers from year one to year 3 (sophomore year was cut really short due to injuries though). Bennett has gotten worse from year one to now year 4.

[MisterJoji]

Originally Posted by Captaincanada80

Every thread turns into a Bennett talk and I find it exhausting, rarely engaging and myself not even reading posts that he is the main topic.

For god sakes he’s has 3 seasons under his belt before most players have even played an NHL game. Just let him mature and enjoy the rest of the team while he develops.

I find it exhausting when people wade into threads without reading the posts and then take. pot shots. For god sakes there’s ample evidence that Bennett improving beyond a 3rd line player is quite unlikely. Not impossible but unlikely.

[Enoch Root]

Originally Posted by MisterJoji

Hopefully, but you also missed the point where it was his 3rd season and he had improved his numbers from year one to year 3 (sophomore year was cut really short due to injuries though). Bennett has gotten worse from year one to now year 4.

I never claimed they have had identical careers.

But your narrative also ignores that Naslund had post draft seasons where he didn't even play in the NHL.

Let the kid play and see where it goes.

[GullFoss]

Bennett has just been too fast for the players he plays with (brouwer, stajan). It's not that he lacks vision or can't think the game...it's that he's born to play the game quick. The best thing for him is that GG, brouwer and stajan are gone. The next best thing will be to pair him with Neal.

[Shazam]

I'm giving everyone a mulligan because of the GG years. That coaching staff was atrocious.

[MisterJoji]

Originally Posted by Enoch Root

I never claimed they have had identical careers.



But your narrative also ignores that Naslund had post draft seasons where he didn't even play in the NHL.



Let the kid play and see where it goes.

You’re right. Bennett probably would’ve benefitted from some time in the AHL. But regardless of what league he was in, Naslund showed general improvement from year to year, as do most impactful players. Bennett has gotten worse with each passing year. Again, I would LOVE for him to breakout this season and I’ll be the first to admit I’m a dumbass if he does, but the chances of that happening look pretty slim.

[FlamesAddiction]

I still think Bennett has more in him. He is only 22.

But even if he becomes a good 3rd liner, that is something every team needs. And like someone else mentioned, he will fit the salary structure.

[dino7c]

I would way rather he earned an 8M contract than support the salary structure. This was the #1 ranked player by central scouting. Third liners grow on trees, we don't need to develop them

[ComixZone]

Originally Posted by dino7c

I would way rather he earned an 8M contract than support the salary structure. This was the #1 ranked player by central scouting. Third liners grow on trees, we don't need to develop them

Which is all the more baffling why the Flames chose to develop Bennett in the way they did, but it was almost understandable when you begin to think of the state of the team.

Treliving failed to put any talent other than Bennett and Jankowski into the "bottom 6" in both 16/17 and 17/18. Which we can be critical of him to a certain degree, but it really was just a reality of where our team was in the rebuilding process. Just now are we entering a stage where picks from a few years ago are starting to paying off.

Those looking to toss Bennett out with the bath water aren't looking at things rationally in my opinion. I feel like the people holding that point of view are the fans who demanded a rebuild without actually possessing the patience to withstand the associated fan frustration.

I'm extremely excited to see a deep forward group for the first time since 2008/2009.

Gaudreau
Tkachuk
Monahan
Neal
Backlund
Lindholm
Bennett
Jankowski
Czarnik
Ryan
Lazar
Frolik
Foo
Dube
Mangiapane

and I'm forgetting players.

I think this is the true first year where our rebuild is going to start to pay off, and I'm damn excited. No one is truly slotted incorrectly. No one is being asked to play above their abilities, yet there's absolutely a few players who could out perform their slot.

Its exciting!

[Aarongavey]

Originally Posted by MisterJoji

Not really. He had 52 points in 66 games his 3rd year in the league at age 22.

He actually had 55 points in 76 games

He followed that up with 41 points in 78 games as a 23 year old.

He followed that up with 34 points in 76 games.

Constant regression, on his way towards a career in the Swedish elite league and then he turned it around.