Official Sam Bennett Discussion Thread

[Flyerfan52]

2 hours ago, cross16 said:

I don't think you'll ever see Monahan "stick up" for teammates and honestly why would you? Why do you want one of your best player sitting in the box for 2 mins off a stupid retaliation penalty that will have no impact on the game. You get effective grit and toughness in your lineup to take care of that not ask Monahan to do it.

 

The only physical play I care about from Monahan is wining puck battles, board play and making sure he plays tough in the slot. Anything else I think is completely irrelevant to his game and to the Flames winning. 

Sticking up for a teammate doesn't = retaliation penalties. Better players than Monahan step up to let opponents know that taking liberties with a line mate won't just be free shots. M/G, do you wait until Gaudreau has to take matters into his own hands & go "Bongo Boy" on someone?

[AlbertaBoy12]

16 minutes ago, cross16 said:

All that matters right now is how much work Bennett is putting into his off season and by all accounts it's a lot. 

 

This is the part that gets me, I think he should have a good 2nd year as center.

 

Thats the important part really its his 2nd year as center in the NHL, which could lead to interesting results if hes putting in as much work as he is. 

[cross16]

11 minutes ago, Flyerfan52 said:

Sticking up for a teammate doesn't = retaliation penalties.

 

Sure does in today's NHL

 

and yes I would much rather see Johnny just stick up for himself, that or just show that you can't get under his skin. That's what Kane, Crosby and others wound up doing. 

[travel_dude]

7 hours ago, Flyerfan52 said:

Sticking up for a teammate doesn't = retaliation penalties. Better players than Monahan step up to let opponents know that taking liberties with a line mate won't just be free shots. M/G, do you wait until Gaudreau has to take matters into his own hands & go "Bongo Boy" on someone?

Yeah, that was kind of my point.  

[rickross]

Losing Engelland makes the Flames a little less tough but that's likely why Gazdic was brought in. He'll be good to protect a young and smalller team in Stockton but could be called up to tenderize Lucic/Kassians faces for example. No point for JH to pretend he'd win an NHL fight and Monny is "boring" Sean Monahan for a reason. I rather they just play their games and not try to be something they're not. 

[travel_dude]

3 hours ago, rickross said:

Losing Engelland makes the Flames a little less tough but that's likely why Gazdic was brought in. He'll be good to protect a young and smalller team in Stockton but could be called up to tenderize Lucic/Kassians faces for example. No point for JH to pretend he'd win an NHL fight and Monny is "boring" Sean Monahan for a reason. I rather they just play their games and not try to be something they're not. 

 

Lost a 3rd pairing guy that would stick up for his teammates if he was on the ice.  Staged fight sometimes after a guy got creamed.  Didn;t exactly prevent stuff.  Now we have Gio, Hamonic and Stone to dish out some punishment.  One guy on the ice every shift.  Gazdic will be only available for staged fights.  He's a better player than Bollig or Big Ern, but not enough to play 10 minutes.  Perry and Kesler will likely meet up with Ferland.  

[phoenix66]

man , if this is true, the kid should fire his agent .

He has almost 0 leverage, certainly hasn't earned anything more than a short term bridge deal. If he's smart , he signs the short term bridge then makes the Flames pay in 2-3 years 

Wonder if this could put him on the block?

 

https://www.hockeyfeed.com/nhl-news/report-sizable-gap-in-negotiations-between-bennett-and-flames

[MAC331]

Just now, phoenix66 said:

man , if this is true, the kid should fire his agent .

He has almost 0 leverage, certainly hasn't earned anything more than a short term bridge deal. If he's smart , he signs the short term bridge then makes the Flames pay in 2-3 years 

Wonder if this could put him on the block?

 

https://www.hockeyfeed.com/nhl-news/report-sizable-gap-in-negotiations-between-bennett-and-flames

Dreger is looking for attention again. He should go overseas and stay there.

[phoenix66]

5 minutes ago, MAC331 said:

Dreger is looking for attention again. He should go overseas and stay there.

agreed.. I suspect the Kids asking for 3's for 2.. BT probably hardballing 2's for 3

[YounGuns]

9 minutes ago, phoenix66 said:

man , if this is true, the kid should fire his agent .

He has almost 0 leverage, certainly hasn't earned anything more than a short term bridge deal. If he's smart , he signs the short term bridge then makes the Flames pay in 2-3 years 

Wonder if this could put him on the block?

 

https://www.hockeyfeed.com/nhl-news/report-sizable-gap-in-negotiations-between-bennett-and-flames

 

Can't trade him at this point; his return would be terrible.  We need him to play more to his potential before we even consider trading him.  But yeah I wonder what his agent is asking for, you'd think a contract like this would be done by now, as you mentioned he has zero leverage and has not played well enough to have earned a big pay day.

 

It's interesting but that year of having him play too many games in the playoffs and thus burn a year off his entry level status, that may have actually helped us in the long run.  When we sign him to a team-friendly contract and then if he has a big year this year we'll be laughing....but that contract would look much different if we were negotiating after a impressive season than it does negotiating after the bad season he had last year.

[rickross]

It's likely part of the Draisatl effect, he was drafted right after him so Bennett and co. could be demanding he's paid according to his draft position and class which would be BS. There really isn't much leverage there other than him being our highest pick ever, I like Bennetts potential but I'd be playing hardball like BT until Bennett can prove his worth on the ice. 

[AlbertaBoy12]

2 hours ago, MAC331 said:

Dreger is looking for attention again. He should go overseas and stay there.

I dont think hes looking for attention, if youre an agent and you want to convince the flames about your dollar amount wouldnt you threaten to go overseas? I very highly doubt it would happen, bennett would almost ruin his career if he did that but who knows. I almost wonder if the separation is in term not in terms of dollars, if I was bennett I would want a 1 year deal while BT might want 2 or 3.

[cross16]

That "report" sure sounds to me like an agent feeling the pressure of a deadlines and leaking "info" as the last card in his deck. 

 

still have no doubt Bennett will be in camp. This is just his agent trying to get as much as has can, which is his job. 

[travel_dude]

17 minutes ago, cross16 said:

That "report" sure sounds to me like an agent feeling the pressure of a deadlines and leaking "info" as the last card in his deck. 

 

still have no doubt Bennett will be in camp. This is just his agent trying to get as much as has can, which is his job. 

 

Dreger has gotten a lot more speculative in recent years.  He talked about Dougie being on the market, as part of a bigger trade with Toronto.  Said he was taking calls.  Rank that as almost zero accuracy.

[Flyerfan52]

18 minutes ago, travel_dude said:

 

Dreger has gotten a lot more speculative in recent years.  He talked about Dougie being on the market, as part of a bigger trade with Toronto.  Said he was taking calls.  Rank that as almost zero accuracy.

Back in the day when Dreger was based in lil' ole Winnipeg I found him much more credible. Since the move to TO he's just a tad above the other talking heads. I take them all with a few grains of salt.

[rickross]

Its more than likely an idle threat but if his demands are unreasonable then let him play overseas. In that case i'd rather see Lazar or a prospect like Janakowski take Bennett's spot. Lets not pretend like Sam Bennett has carved his way into an integral role on this team yet. He's a good player but he hasn't proven to be so invaluable an asset that the Flames can't succeed without him next year. I'd obviously prefer having him play this season but if he's going to pose more of a distraction then send him overseas so the team can focus on training camp and the start of the season.

[Flyerfan52]

1 hour ago, AlbertaBoy12 said:

I dont think hes looking for attention, if youre an agent and you want to convince the flames about your dollar amount wouldnt you threaten to go overseas? I very highly doubt it would happen, bennett would almost ruin his career if he did that but who knows. I almost wonder if the separation is in term not in terms of dollars, if I was bennett I would want a 1 year deal while BT might want 2 or 3.

I agree. The Duclair $1.2 x 1 is probably the closest as to age, GP & PPG (Duclair very slightly higher). A real 'show me'" contract but I think 1 year takes both to RFA with arbitration rights.

[cross16]

2 hours ago, AlbertaBoy12 said:

I dont think hes looking for attention, if youre an agent and you want to convince the flames about your dollar amount wouldnt you threaten to go overseas? I very highly doubt it would happen, bennett would almost ruin his career if he did that but who knows. I almost wonder if the separation is in term not in terms of dollars, if I was bennett I would want a 1 year deal while BT might want 2 or 3.

 

Didn't ruin Gio's career. 

I don't think he'll do it either, but I also think when you have a player like Bennett who probably is rightly questioning his utilization and a team is offering you a better chance to play it becomes a much more real possibility. 

[rickross]

9 minutes ago, cross16 said:

 

Didn't ruin Gio's career. 

I don't think he'll do it either, but I also think when you have a player like Bennett who probably is rightly questioning his utilization and a team is offering you a better chance to play it becomes a much more real possibility. 

Which is why sending him overseas isn't the worst outcome. Gio was undrafted and worked his way into the NHL, my concern is Bennett is operating under a false sense of entitlement. He was excellent in junior and he's been average in the NHL, there's no denying he was a high draft pick but he's still developing his game and more ice time, whether in the NHL or overseas is not a bad thing.

[MAC331]

1 hour ago, rickross said:

Its more than likely an idle threat but if his demands are unreasonable then let him play overseas. In that case i'd rather see Lazar or a prospect like Janakowski take Bennett's spot. Lets not pretend like Sam Bennett has carved his way into an integral role on this team yet. He's a good player but he hasn't proven to be so invaluable an asset that the Flames can't succeed without him next year. I'd obviously prefer having him play this season but if he's going to pose more of a distraction then send him overseas so the team can focus on training camp and the start of the season.

OK let's pretend he could be a significant part of this team's future. Bennett needs to be treated fairly IMO some incentive and some show me reality. We don't know where the gap lies but going overseas would be a bad move for Bennett.

[The_People1]

5 hours ago, phoenix66 said:

man , if this is true, the kid should fire his agent .

He has almost 0 leverage, certainly hasn't earned anything more than a short term bridge deal. If he's smart , he signs the short term bridge then makes the Flames pay in 2-3 years 

Wonder if this could put him on the block?

 

https://www.hockeyfeed.com/nhl-news/report-sizable-gap-in-negotiations-between-bennett-and-flames

 

I think Dreger is a pretty respectable guy so when he says there is a possibility Bennett heads over seas, then it's likely possible.

 

Though it shouldn't shock us.  Bennett is a key piece of our future so you'd think a deal will get done sooner rather than later.  We saw what happened when Johnny missed camp.  He got off to a slow start.  We can't have Bennett miss camp this year.

[AlbertaBoy12]

33 minutes ago, cross16 said:

 

Didn't ruin Gio's career. 

I don't think he'll do it either, but I also think when you have a player like Bennett who probably is rightly questioning his utilization and a team is offering you a better chance to play it becomes a much more real possibility. 

I think rickross has hit the nail on the head, its the sense of entitlement, but I do agree with what you are saying about him questioning things. But, at the same time I honestly just think its a idle threat that the agent probably leaked. But im going to assume a 2 year deal gets done at a bit more money to bridge the gap between bennett wanting a 1 year and BT probably wanting a 3 year deal.

[cross16]

I always laugh when these situation come up and suddenly the player has a sense of "entitlement" like we know what is going on with the negotiation. We have no idea what the agent is asking for and no idea what the Flames are offering so to assume Bennett has a sense of entitlement without knowing the facts seems foolish to me. 

 

Pro hockey careers aren't that long and are at risk every year. Trying to maximize your worth is not a sense of entitlement, it's just smart. This is a negotiation and Bennett and company have every right to use whatever leverage they can find to maximize their worth and the Flames have every right to use their leverage to get a deal that works for them. I don't foresee a problem with that gap shrinking once the deadline gets closer and closer. 

[travel_dude]

1 hour ago, rickross said:

Which is why sending him overseas isn't the worst outcome. Gio was undrafted and worked his way into the NHL, my concern is Bennett is operating under a false sense of entitlement. He was excellent in junior and he's been average in the NHL, there's no denying he was a high draft pick but he's still developing his game and more ice time, whether in the NHL or overseas is not a bad thing.

 

36 minutes ago, AlbertaBoy12 said:

I think rickross has hit the nail on the head, its the sense of entitlement, but I do agree with what you are saying about him questioning things. But, at the same time I honestly just think its a idle threat that the agent probably leaked. But im going to assume a 2 year deal gets done at a bit more money to bridge the gap between bennett wanting a 1 year and BT probably wanting a 3 year deal.

 

What entitlement do you speak of?  He was played on the 3rd line with a variety of players that under-performed.  His agent is working to get him the best deal possible.  If the sides are far apart, then that reflects on the agent and the GM.  Johnny got very frustrated last year when the deal didn't happen in September, so one would think that Bennett is feeling the same pressure.

 

If the rift is credible, then at some point someone will cave in a bit.  Gio wanted 9, got >6.  Johnny wanted 7.5, got >6.  The deal will get done. 

[rickross]

29 minutes ago, cross16 said:

I always laugh when these situation come up and suddenly the player has a sense of "entitlement" like we know what is going on with the negotiation. We have no idea what the agent is asking for and no idea what the Flames are offering so to assume Bennett has a sense of entitlement without knowing the facts seems foolish to me. 

 

Pro hockey careers aren't that long and are at risk every year. Trying to maximize your worth is not a sense of entitlement, it's just smart. This is a negotiation and Bennett and company have every right to use whatever leverage they can find to maximize their worth and the Flames have every right to use their leverage to get a deal that works for them. I don't foresee a problem with that gap shrinking once the deadline gets closer and closer. 

 

2 minutes ago, travel_dude said:

 

 

What entitlement do you speak of?  He was played on the 3rd line with a variety of players that under-performed.  His agent is working to get him the best deal possible.  If the sides are far apart, then that reflects on the agent and the GM.  Johnny got very frustrated last year when the deal didn't happen in September, so one would think that Bennett is feeling the same pressure.

 

If the rift is credible, then at some point someone will cave in a bit.  Gio wanted 9, got >6.  Johnny wanted 7.5, got >6.  The deal will get done. 

No one is pretending to know what is actually going on with the negotiations which is why we're lead to speculate. Also no one is saying he doesn't have the right to negotiate a max deal but it's fair to discuss the potential variables that are in play, entitlement being one of them..this is a "discussion board" after all.