Two4Fighting
Registered User
- Oct 17, 2007
- 1,113
- 544
Oh Boy
I could write a novel on this.
To really reflect back at this, you have to go all the way back to the 2014-15 season, which was supposed to be Bennett's rookie season. The kid basically made the team as #1 center right out camp on an incredible preseason line of Gaudreau-Bennett-Ferland, but they shut him down due to needing surgery on the shoulder injury (the same one that caused him unable to do a pullup at the combine). So he missed a year. What really sucks about this is that it was a year the Flames were supposed to be bad. Like, "we are the frontrunners for Connor McDavid bad"
That was the year Bennett should have and would have got 20+ minutes a night, easily, no matter how badly he screwed up. He would have immediately developed into a more physical Jonathan Toews. Coach Bob Hartley himself compared Bennett to Peter Forsberg, and I'm sure you guys can see the similarities with how he uses his physical play to actually create offense.
But it didn't happen. Not only did Bennett get hurt, but the Flames somehow had a hot season with guys like Hudler and Bouma having career years, and of course rookie Gaudreau taking off.
Sean Monahan got elevated to first line center when he was never that kind of talent, and scored a lot of goals down the stretch.
Monahan's goalscoring ability got overvalued in the organization relative to his actual impact.
The Flames make the playoffs and Bennett is healthy. So they start him off at LW with Backlund because the playoffs are not where you throw an 18 year old who's never played in the league at center. Okay, fine. He was still a heck of an 18 year old.
Next season starts, and it's Bennett's rookie season.
Except suddenly the Flames fancy themselves a perennial playoff team and a contender. They trade their first rounder (which would have been Matthew Barzal BTW) for Dougie Hamilton to try and accelerate their rebuild. Horrible move and it put expectations on the team to make the playoffs at any cost.
So as a rookie, Bennett starts the season at center because Hartley's not an idiot. He's centering Mason Raymond and Michael Frolik, which is okay, but not ideal. But Backlund is struggling a lot as the 3C with Lance Bouma, so Hartley shifts up the lines a little to get Backlund going. Bennett-Backlund-Frolik gets put together, instant chemistry but more of a middle six line without a real highend finisher. But Hartley tries to shake things up and get Bennett going. Gaudreau-Bennett-Jooris finally happens. Okay, so Josh Jooris is kind of a scrub but it's okay, he's just there to grind while the other two do their magic. Frolik also sees some icetime at RW there. Regardless - Bennett has six points in those four games! He's killing it. You know which line is not killing it? Hudler-Monahan-???? which is supposed to be our second line. So Hartley breaks up the ridiculously effective Gaudreau-Bennett-Jooris/Frolik line to reunite last year's hot line of Gaudreau-Monahan-Hudler, which I always hated. Hartley's only focus is to make the playoffs. Brutal. Bennett gets reunited with Backlund and Frolik and he has a good stretch again.
And then the Flames call up Markus Granlund. The main reason for this is because this is their best AHL prospect but he hasn't really had a great NHL career. So they give him a chance with Bennett and Hudler. What should have been a good line is ruined by one crucial mistake by Hartley - Granlund is the center and Granlund SUCKS at center. They didn't even TRY Granlund on Bennett's wing. So Bennett goes the next two months absolutely with zero confidence as a line centered by Markus Granlund is getting kicked in and not creating chances. Hudler was bad too on that line. Finally Hartley reunites Bennett-Backlund-Frolik again and he gets going. 2 goal game, and then the next game a four game against you guys, who were going for the division so it was a really exciting time. I think Bennett had nine goals total that month of January 2016? Finally, the trade deadline rolls around and the Flames' playoff hopes are unofficially nixed.
Bennett is moved back to center. Since Backlund and Frolik are immoveable, Bennett is centering Joe Colborne and a not-yet-emerged Micheal Ferland, among other random bottom sixers in a blender. Bennett actually did really well, and Hartley even had Bennett taking draws against guys like Kopitar and Couture. The production kind of dipped but Colborne did produce a little with Bennett setting him up (resulting in Colborne getting a pretty nice contract for himself that offseason). It was a good way to end Bennett's rookie season, he was playing center and playing it really well. You could tell Hartley had really big plans for Bennett the next year. Jonathan Toews types plans. Peter Forsberg type plans. #1 center type plans.
And then it goes to shit. Not only is Hartley fired right after 93's rookie year, but the Flames sign Troy Brouwer. If you've ever looked at a HERO chart, you should look at Troy Brouwer's hero chart when the Flames signed him. It was a horrible signing. And the new coach thinks Brouwer is the veteran who should be stapled to Sam Bennett's right wing. Plays went to die on Brouwers stick that year, and Gulutzan wouldn't give Bennett any other linemates! Versteeg-Bennett-Brouwer was an atrocious line, because both wingers were slow and did not play with the PACE that Sam Bennett wants to play with. And Gulutzan punishes Bennett for it by taking the 20 year old off the powerplay. What a f***ing idiot, young players need that PP time just to get touches and confidence. So Bennett had an awful sophomore season, but wait, towards the end, Gulutzan finally comes to his senses and takes Brouwer off that line. Chiasson is the guy on that line down the stretch, and that line was really strong in the underlying metrics, but their puck luck was horrible. The puck luck turned around in the playoffs though, and the Versteeg-Bennett-Chiasson line was easily Calgary's best. Unfortunately Gulutzan kept the line stapled to this awful defence pair of Bartkowski-Engelland in front of an awful goaltending performance by brian elliott so a look at their plus minus might be misleading, but it was a great line.
Year 3 was supposed to be Bennett's breakout year. Gulutzan even went as far as to compare the kid to Tyler Seguin. And he starts game one on a line with Johnny Gaudreau...
....
except..
..the...
other...
winger...
is...
Curtis...
Lazar...
wtf
So Bennett starts the season on a cold streak. I don't blame Bennett, as Lazar was not a very good right wigner (I didn't mind him as a 4C, but that's a different role!). The line struggled and predictable gets split up. But it's not so bad!!!
Versteeg - Bennett - Jagr get formed!
Holy crap dude
You guys have no idea
how
fun
this
line
was
but
Jagr's
finish
was lost
So Gulutzan split it up and moved Bennett to the wing and he never played center again. He was moved to 4LW with Jankowski and Hathaway (wtf?). Then Bill Peters never played him at center, ever. Then Geoff Ward comes in, and just continues what Peters was doing. But wait... the playoffs come, and Ward has a moment of brilliance putting together the Lucic-Bennett-Dube line.
And they were, probably, our #1 line in the playoffs. That's right, the line we threw out there we needed a goal! NOT Gaudreau-Monahan-Lindholm, they were trash. Tkachuk-Backlund-Mangiapane were good at first but Tkachuk had a concussion. Nope, Lucic-Bennett-Dube was our best playoff line.
So come this season, we're all looking forward to Lucic-Bennett-Dube, or better yet, something more fun, like Tkachuk-Bennett-Dube, or Gaudreau-Bennett-Dube, or Gaudreau-Bennett-Lindholm. You know, the things he deserves since day one.
Lucic-Bennett-Nordstrom
That is Sam Bennett's line on game 1 of the season
Cue trade request, and petulant scratching and generally shitty coaching by Geoff Ward.
Sutter comes in, and he immediately puts Bennett on the PK, and starts working to rebuild Bennett's game. It looks like he's trying to figure out a spot for Bennett, but he hasn't had much time to figure out his lines. Even though he was using Bennett as his 4LW, it seemed to be temporary. And when Backlund got hurt, it was Bennett who was put on center for the shutdown line with Lucic and Mangaipane against McDavid, so clearly Sutter had a plan for Bennett.
And now he's a Florida Panther.
tl;dr - Bennett played great for Hartley (1 cup), and Sutter (2 cups plus #itwasin2004) and now Quennville (3 cups). Gulutzan/Peters/Ward will never be a head coach in an NHL game again for good reason.
Great write up, thanks for taking the time.
It is obvious that he was mismanaged, I am so happy that he is with us.
