Sam Bennett is not a bust.

[JPeeper]

Just because I see people all the time talking about how much of a bust Benny is, I'll post some stats to compare others from his draft class come playoff time

Sam Bennett 6g 5 a, 11 points in 20 games.

Nik Ehlers 0g 7a, 7 points in 20 games.

Willy Nylander 3g 7a, 10 points in 18 games.

Larkin 1 goal in 5 games.

Reinhart never made the playoffs.

Drai (who went higher) is the obvious stand out, as is Pasta as both are over a point per game.

I'm not saying Bennett is a superstar either, it's still only 11 points in 20 games (11 of those games were during his rookie season), but he also plays like 12 minutes a game. My point is when the hockey actually matters, Bennett shows up and plays well, hits and puts points up.

P.S. I chose these guys 'cause they are the most talked about, guys like Fiala and Ritchie also have pretty bad playoff stats. Even Alex Tuch in 5 more games played than Benny has 1 more point.

Click to read more...

 

[ijuka]

He's not a bust, he just is a major disappointment for his draft position.

 

[dubey]

His mustachio is top 10 pick worthy

 

[ZenOil]

He's pretty good for a moustace

 

[JPeeper]

He's not a bust, he just is a major disappointment for his draft position.

True, but of all the players drafted after Bennett , only Pasta has a higher point per game average than Benny in the playoffs.

IMO he can put up 20 points in the regular season for the rest of his career if he has the type of playoffs he has had his three campaigns.

 

[Ace of Hades]

Not a bust, but a disappointment.

In fairness to him, he was definitely one of the Flames's best player in the playoffs.

 

[GlitchMarner]

Draisaitl has 0 playoff points

No, he doesn't. He played in the playoffs in 2017 and put up good stats.

 

[Evincar]

Just because I see people all the time talking about how much of a bust Benny is, I'll post some stats to compare others from his draft class come playoff time

Sam Bennett 6g 5 a, 11 points in 20 games.

Nik Ehlers 0g 7a, 7 points in 20 games.

Willy Nylander 3g 7a, 10 points in 18 games.

Larkin 1 goal in 5 games.

Reinhart never made the playoffs.

Drai (who went higher) is the obvious stand out, as is Pasta as both are over a point per game.

I'm not saying Bennett is a superstar either, it's still only 11 points in 20 games (11 of those games were during his rookie season), but he also plays like 12 minutes a game. My point is when the hockey actually matters, Bennett shows up and plays well, hits and puts points up.

He is definitely a bust if he does nothing during the regular season and just plays well during the playoffs.

Im not sure why comparing his playoffs numbers to guys like Larkin and Reinhart is relevant, given they have 5 games played between them.

 

[Took a pill in Sbisa]

So it's decided. A player should be evaluated on a 20 game window and by no other means.

 

[dubey]

No, he doesn't. He played in the playoffs in 2017 and put up good stats.

I can't use the internet my b

 

[Freudian]

The offensive ability never translated to the NHL but he's a solid second/third line tweener with good physicality.

 

[93LEAFS]

True, but of all the players drafted after Bennett , only Pasta has a higher point per game average than Benny in the playoffs.

IMO he can put up 20 points in the regular season for the rest of his career if he has the type of playoffs he has had his three campaigns.

You are using a sample size of less than 20 games in most cases. That is generally worthless. He is a massive disappointment for his draft position. You also ignore context in some key cases. I mean, yes, Larkin only has 1 goal in the playoffs but he also played his only series as a 19-year-old rookie. Bennett's overall line has generally been a drag for the Flames in the playoffs losing the possession and gf% battle.

 

[GlitchMarner]

So it's decided. A player should be evaluated on a 20 game window and by no other means.

If we're going by the playoffs alone, I'd say Gaudreau is a very underwhelming player.

 

[Stephen]

I guess you could say he's his generation's Scott Thornton.

 

[DakrSnooze]

Love the scrappy element he brings to the game. Maybe with some more ice time and continued development he can see his offensive numbers jump a little.

 

[YoSoyLalo]

Woah

A 20-20 pace in a 20 game sample size means he’s not a bust?

I’m sold.

 

[jetsforever]

Regular season though:

Bennett: 55-61-116 in 312
Ehlers: 90-109-199 in 298
Nylander: 55-107-162 in 239
Larkin: 88-125-213 in 318
Reinhart: 87-118-205 in 331

Bennett was drafted above everyone there except Reinhart. He's a fine player but not a great 4OA.

 

[super6646]

Sample size...

Don’t get me wrong, he was our best player in the playoffs. But that’s also the biggest reason we were out in 5.

 

[treple13]

Bennett's overall line has generally been a drag for the Flames in the playoffs losing the possession and gf% battle.

Not really a super fair thing given Neal and Jankowski were the Flames worst two forwards. Of course his line is losing by those metrics. He did his best to make it work and the first line also looked way better with him there than Lindholm during the short time that happened.

 

[RealisticLeaf55]

Sam Bennett stole Lanny McDonald's mustache to give himself super powers.

Absolute cheating.

 

[93LEAFS]

Not really a super fair thing given Neal and Jankowski were the Flames worst two forwards. Of course his line is losing by those metrics. He did his best to make it work and the first line also looked way better with him there than Lindholm during the short time that happened.

His line has never performed at an elite level in the playoffs. Never being positive possession or gf% wise. Obviously, playing with Neal isn't ideal, but to say he's not a massive disappointment because of 20 games primarily played in the 1st round of the playoffs is a reach.

 

[Snakepit]

I'm a Flames fan and I'm not very high on Bennett. His performance in the playoffs improves his stock to me but it doesn't erase how dissapointing he's been otherwise. I'm interested in seeing how he does next year now that he seemed to find his role, I just hope he finds his offense.

Will be interesting to see what he gets for a new contract. I hope he doesn't get much of a raise.

 

[treple13]

His line has never performed at an elite level in the playoffs. Never being positive possession or gf% wise. Obviously, playing with Neal isn't ideal, but to say he's not a massive disappointment because of 20 games primarily played in the 1st round of the playoffs is a reach.

He's looked excellent in all three playoff years. You just have to watch him play and you can see it. Putting the mistakes of his two terrible linemates this year, or his even more terrible goaltender two years ago, is a bit silly.

The sample size is obviously small. But he plays like a completely different player the second the postseason hits and it's a very effective player.

 

[LongWayDown37]

Alrighty...

 

[Martin Skoula]

He's looked excellent in all three playoff years. You just have to watch him play and you can see it. Putting the mistakes of his two terrible linemates this year, or his even more terrible goaltender two years ago, is a bit silly.

The sample size is obviously small. But he plays like a completely different player the second the postseason hits and it's a very effective player.

It's a 20-20 pace that gets beaten at ES. That's "very effective"?