The Legend of Sam Bennett

[RedMan12]

Made me start cheering for the Florida Panthers.

[Cecil Terwilliger]

Originally Posted by codynw

I think it’s fair to ask why it wasn’t a match. What happened that made the highest draft pick in franchise history look like a bust while he was here but immediately look like what we thought we were getting when he goes somewhere else? Something rotten in this organization and I’d like to know what it is.

No. You’re making a connection that isn’t there. Maybe Sam didn’t adjust to the dry climate, maybe he is afraid of giant anthropomorphic dogs, maybe he was the problem and didn’t take his nhl career seriously until it almost ended.

This doesn’t have to be Calgary’s fault. There is zero evidence Calgary ruins prospects. They didn’t ruin Johnny or Mony or Chucky or Dube or Mangie etc.

As nice as it would be to have this version of Sam in Calgary, he wouldn’t be the difference that makes the flames a contender. He’s still not an elite talent, which is what we need.

I don’t see what’s to be bitter about. We lost a trade, boohoo. Get over it. Thankfully we got something in return. And good for Sam, always seemed like a stand up guy. Nice to see him doing well but I certainly am not cheering him on while simultaneously crying about and cursing Brad Treliving.

[FlamesAddiction]

I still think the truth is somewhere in the middle.

Bennett is a good player that shows he can get results when he plays with elite players, but he isn't a guy that makes the players around him better. You have to wonder why a player like Backlund could play with similar talent, but still produce at a reasonable clip in spite of that.

The Flames are just not a very good team and couldn't give him the same opportunity that the Panthers could. Glad it worked out for him, but I am getting pretty sick of the blame game. An elite player, especially a center, should be able to adjust to the wing and should make their linemates better, so I don't see him as elite, but I do agree that he is a good player who went from a less than optimal situation to one that benefits him greatly.

[dino7c]

Most top picks are on #### teams and tear it up from day one.

[bluejays]

I think most thought Sam was better than he showed here. I doubt anyone could've predicted his value to the degree he's jumped up. Frankly, I'm very happy for him. It's been talked about and debated ad nauseam, but it's worth rubbing into the organization's face how they didn't develop or show confidence in him. This was a team who could've used his production but have found ways to not develop talent over the years, and that shouldn't be ignored or chalked up to chance.

[DeluxeMoustache]

Originally Posted by dino7c

Most top picks are on #### teams and tear it up from day one.

Top picks on #### teams get top line deployment. Ice time. Linemates

I believe the conversation used to be about utilization and opportunity

The people who hypothesized this see the deployment actually happening in Florida and the results seem to be following

What is complicated here? Am I in bizarro world?

[dino7c]

Originally Posted by DeluxeMoustache

Top picks on #### teams get top line deployment. Ice time. Linemates

I believe the conversation used to be about utilization and opportunity

The people who hypothesized this see the deployment actually happening in Florida and the results seem to be following

What is complicated here? Am I in bizarro world?

Any time he got a chance he played like #### though...if he was putting up points he would have stayed there.

I'm not saying its all on him, its partially on him though

He will struggle again and his career too, how he handles it will be interesting

[Saqe]

The production question regarding Bennett is actually an interesting one. I personally believed he can be a 50ish point center for Florida but the results have been pretty mind boggling so far, 18 points in 12 games for 1.5 PPG and he was PPG in the playoffs too. Obviously not sustainable but if he somehow ends up having a point per game season for the Panthers ... Have to think that would seal the deal with Treliving, although he's probably gone after the season anyway.

[powderjunkie]

Originally Posted by dino7c

Any time he got a chance he played like #### though...if he was putting up points he would have stayed there.

I'm not saying its all on him, its partially on him though

He will struggle again and his career too, how he handles it will be interesting

We can debate this forever, but another question worth asking is how was the team doing when he got his 'chances'? Did he get bumped up to fill in for an injury? Or because the team was struggling and needed to try something different?

For how often this response is trotted out I'd think y'all would be able to link to a few 2-3 game stretches where he got some sustained chances...

[BigRed]

Originally Posted by Saqe

The production question regarding Bennett is actually an interesting one. I personally believed he can be a 50ish point center for Florida but the results have been pretty mind boggling so far, 18 points in 12 games for 1.5 PPG and he was PPG in the playoffs too. Obviously not sustainable but if he somehow ends up having a point per game season for the Panthers ... Have to think that would seal the deal with Treliving, although he's probably gone after the season anyway.

I will eat a pubic hair if Sam Bennet has a PPG season in any of the next 3.

Go ahead. Put it in your sig (see below).

[jayswin]

Originally Posted by BigRed

I will eat a pubic hair if Sam Bennet has a PPG season in any of the next 3.

Go ahead. Put it in your sig (see below).

Who cares, though? The poster said what he's doing isn't sustainable, but that he's clearly a much better player in Florida.

[SportsJunky]

Covid-19 has to get Sam Bennett shots once a year.

[dino7c]

Originally Posted by jayswin

Who cares, though? The poster said what he's doing isn't sustainable, but that he's clearly a much better player in Florida.

He said 1.5 isn't sustainable...sounded like he thought PPG was pretty likely


I think he will get 50 points

[BigRed]

Originally Posted by tvp2003

I also think Bennett’s fate in Calgary was sealed when Mangiapane passed him on the depth chart. Interestingly, Mange had no problem working his way up from the fourth line whereas Bennett struggled with it. That, in a nutshell, was the enigma of Sam Bennett and his time in Calgary.

This is really it. Bennett couldn’t exert his will to improve his own lot. Mangiapane fought his way up not only by effort but constantly improving. Nobody doubted Bennett’s effort. He just couldn’t get his head wrapped around how to alter his game to play in different circumstances.

I still think he’s a tunnel vision player with limited application who may have stumbled into his perfect fit. Calgary Bennett is the Bennett we would have seen 29 times out of 32 in the NHL; he lucked out and found his fit so good for him. I’ll still be shocked if he cracks 50 points but good luck to him.


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[blankall]

Sam Bennett is good, but has an incomplete skill set. He's got a decent shot and is great at jamming pucks home. His board play is good too. He lacks vision, the ability to gain the zone, and elite stick handling.

In Florida he's found the perfect situation with Huberdeau, who game is a perfect compliment. Huberdeau is one of the best players in the league. He drives the net hard and creates space for Bennett, who basically just has to keep up and have his stick down. Huberdeau does all the things Bennett can't.

If Bennett had been given the best opportunities in Calgary he would have been a 50-60 point player, which would have left him considerably lower than the Flames top line players. Bennett didn't have the two way play to displace Backlund. That's why he never made the top six here.

It sucks losing Bennett, but he was given lots of time to develop here, and his play is what it is. I did not see a lack of development being the problem. Bennett had plenty of time on the the pp and top line, but never consistently took advantage.

The only issue I see with the organization was a lack of depth, which left Bennett with poor bottom six linemates. The organization does appear to be attempting to address this, but it comes from poor scouting 3-5 years before Bennett was drafted.

[Saqe]

Originally Posted by BigRed

I will eat a pubic hair if Sam Bennet has a PPG season in any of the next 3.

Go ahead. Put it in your sig (see below).

Hah. I won't hold you to it.

The thing is Bennett does look better as a player. He's carrying the puck up the ice well and using his linemates, not doing stupid stickhandling and losing the puck. His confidence is obviously super high right now. Cutting down penalties is going to be the key thing for him, we'll see how that goes.

Originally Posted by dino7c

He said 1.5 isn't sustainable...sounded like he thought PPG was pretty likely


I think he will get 50 points

Maybe he can get 60 with that line having good chemistry. But even that would be pretty incredible for Bennett IMO. It's just confusing the pace he's scoring at right now, 1.5 PPG, it's 12 games but that's 15% of the season so not an insignificant number. That's of course going to drop but he can have a major nosedive in production and still end up at 50-60 points.

[BigRed]

Originally Posted by blankall

Sam Bennett is good, but has an incomplete skill set. He's got a decent shot and is great at jamming pucks home. His board play is good too. He lacks vision, the ability to gain the zone, and elite stick handling.

In Florida he's found the perfect situation with Huberdeau, who game is a perfect compliment. Huberdeau is one of the best players in the league. He drives the net hard and creates space for Bennett, who basically just has to keep up and have his stick down. Huberdeau does all the things Bennett can't.

Exactly. Bennett is a good complementary player who has found his perfect complement.

Not that the Flames couldn't use a good complementary player, but we didn't have someone to bring that out in him and it became clear over years that he couldn't do it on his own.

[ComixZone]

Originally Posted by BigRed

Exactly. Bennett a good complementary player who has found his perfect complement.

Not that the Flames couldn't use a good complementary player, but we didn't have someone to bring that out in him and it became clear over years that he couldn't do it on his own.

Bennett should have been in our top-six all along.

Gulutzan should have made Bennett - Backlund - Tkachuk the line.
Peters should have made Gaudreau - Monahan - Bennett the line.
Ward should have made Lucic - Bennett - Dube the line and then Gaudreau - Bennett - ? after Monahan got injured.

They didn't. They backed veterans and reveled in their own stupidity (and they all earned their dismissals), and now the Flames have traded away a 24/25 year old #2 centreman who is going to have a better season than both Backlund and Monahan.

[Lanny_McDonald]

Sam Bennett had FOUR goals in a single game in Calgary once. A hat trick doesn't change anything. He's still the same flawed player with limited skills. He's just found himself in a very enviable situation riding shotgun along side one of the most under-rated skill players in the NHL. Bennett has found himself in a situation where his crash the net, score from the blue paint style, is actually complimentary to his linemate's game. Good for him, but don't kid yourself about Bennett's play. Bennett will go as far as Huberdeau can carry him, like like Anthony Duclair and a number of other players before him.

[DeluxeMoustache]

*chuckle*

He may never score again