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Kent Wilson on the Athletic. Highlights...login for the full article.
Sam Bennett is unlikely to ever become a top-six NHL forwardQuote:
Last year, both Flames fans and management expected Sam Bennett to take a real step forward. In fact, Brad Treliving essentially bet on Bennett developing enough to carry the club’s third line by concentrating on both defense and goaltending in favour of forward depth in the off-season.
Unfortunately, that bet didn’t pan out. Bennett ran in place for the second straight season, kicking off the year with a 15-game pointless streak as Calgary’s third line center. The youngster’s struggles convinced the team to shunt him to left wing for the rest of the season and call up Mark Jankowski.
The Bennett and Jankowski combination experienced occasional spikes of effectiveness, interspersed with long dry spells and struggles. In fact, that pattern has marked Bennett throughout his NHL career so far – rare bursts where he looks like he has finally figured things out, only to be followed by extended bouts of ineffectiveness.
With the player entering his fourth NHL season and second year of a $1.9 million bridge deal, the organization is facing a difficult decision with Bennett – keep him and hope that he eventually improves, or trade him before his trade value bottoms out.
It is possible for a bottom Q4 player to evolve into a top-six forward, but it’s unlikely (33 per cent).
Outside of scoring, Bennett’s underlying numbers to date haven’t been particularly noteworthy either.
The implication is that Bennett probably isn’t going to suddenly turn into a much better player moving forward. The one confounding factor is his idiosyncratic circumstances to date, with the possibility that his less than ideal role and linemates over the last two seasons have undermined his results to a significant degree.
Assuming this isn’t the case and Bennett has settled in as a 0.40 PPG, middle-rotation winger, the Flames will have decided if he has more value to the team in that role or as a trade chip given what the perception of the player is around the league currently.
Still not sold on him needing to be traded.....he's arbitration available in 19-20. Might as well ride it out.
The second coming of Jamie Lundmark! Package him up for Craig Conroy!