Could a reunion between Flames and Sam Bennett make sense?
Sam Bennett has come an awful long way since his days in Calgary as a healthy scratch but his uncertain future in Florida could lead him to being a coveted free agent on the market.
admin
CALGARY – Sam Bennett has come an awful long way since his days in Calgary as a healthy scratch.
So much so that he may soon have the opportunity to contemplate a lucrative return to the city that drafted him.
And for a hint as to why that could be a possibility, consider this little nugget from Panthers coach Paul Maurice when asked about the instant transformation Bennett made upon his arrival in Florida almost four years ago.
“As a matter of fact, when I did talk to him early about what was the change, he said, ‘well I got to come here and I got to play with (Jonathan) Huberdeau, and then I got moved into the middle,’” said Maurice.
“Sometimes it’s just finding the right guy to get you your confidence back. It’s not a coach, not a city, it’s another player.”
The Flames have been actively searching for an impact centre since they lost Elias Lindholm last winter.
They’ve also been looking desperately for someone to help Huberdeau regain his Florida form.
Aside from Bennett being in his late 20s, few players fit the profile they’re looking for better than ol’ Benny, who is in line for a massive payday as a pending free agent.
/* if ( "1" == true && 'undefined' !== typeof window.getIndexAds ) { var so = {preroll:{1:{1:{siteID:191888},2:{siteID:191889}}}}; adServerUrl = window.getIndexAds( 'http://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/ads?sz=640x360&cust_params=domain%3Dsportsnet.ca&iu=%2F7326%2Fen.sportsnet.web%2FVideo&ciu_szs=300x250&impl=s&gdfp_req=1&env=vp&output=vast&unviewed_position_start=1&ad_rule=1&vid=6363505617112&cmsid=384', so, permalink); } else { adServerUrl = "http://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/ads?sz=640x360&cust_params=domain%3Dsportsnet.ca&iu=%2F7326%2Fen.sportsnet.web%2FVideo&ciu_szs=300x250&impl=s&gdfp_req=1&env=vp&output=vast&unviewed_position_start=1&ad_rule=1&vid=6363505617112&cmsid=384"; } */ adServerUrl = "http://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/ads?sz=640x360&cust_params=domain%3Dsportsnet.ca&iu=%2F7326%2Fen.sportsnet.web%2FVideo&ciu_szs=300x250&impl=s&gdfp_req=1&env=vp&output=vast&unviewed_position_start=1&ad_rule=1&vid=6363505617112&cmsid=384"; var adServerUrl_result = adServerUrl.includes("cust_params"); var queryString=''; if(adServerUrl_result){ var gettheDUFI = false; if (localStorage.getItem("consent") !== null && localStorage.getItem("consent-targeting") !== null) gettheDUFI = localStorage.getItem("theRED_loc");
if(gettheDUFI){ queryString += "dufiid=" + gettheDUFI + '&'; queryString += "ppid=" + gettheDUFI + '&'; var ppid = "ppid=" + gettheDUFI + '&'; }
var DUFI_IP = false; if (localStorage.getItem("consent") !== null && localStorage.getItem("consent-targeting") !== null) DUFI_IP = sessionStorage.getItem("DUFI_IP");
if(DUFI_IP){ queryString += "dufiip=" + DUFI_IP + '&'; }
adServerUrl = adServerUrl.replace(/cust_params=/, ppid + 'cust_params=' + encodeURIComponent(queryString) ); }
$el.after( unescape("%3Cscript src=\"" + (document.location.protocol == "https:" ? "https://sb" : "http://b") + ".scorecardresearch.com/beacon.js\" %3E%3C/script%3E") );
$( document ).one( 'ready', function() { $( "#video_container-489249" ).SNPlayer( { bc_account_id: "1704050871", bc_player_id: "JCdte3tMv", //autoplay: true, //is_has_autoplay_switch: false, bc_videos: 6363505617112, is_has_continuous_play: "false", adserverurl: adServerUrl, section: "", thumbnail: "https://www.sportsnet.ca/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/6363505617112-1024x576.jpg", direct_url: "https://www.sportsnet.ca/nhl/video/saturday-headlines-panthers-start-negotiations-with-sam-benett/" }); });
A two-time 20-goal scorer in Florida who has upped his productivity to almost a point a game so far this season (13-13 in 30 GP), it’s Bennett’s grit and playoff prowess that would make him one of the most sought-after players on the open market this summer.
The Panthers will continue to try hard to use expanding cap space to keep him around.
However, failed negotiations could result in a trade, or he could simply sign elsewhere after one last post-season binge in South Florida.
And that brings us to Calgary, where Bennett was the organization’s highest pick of all time, going fourth overall in 2014.
With more than $19 million in projected cap space, GM Craig Conroy is poised to make a big splash when he feels the right player comes along.
It helps that much like signing the wildly popular Ryan Lomberg this summer, the Flames are familiar with Bennett.
Gone are the coaches and GM Brad Treliving, who presided over the early, frustrating years of Bennett’s time in Calgary, where he was predominantly used as a bottom-six winger.
-
-
NHL on Sportsnet
Livestream Hockey Night in Canada, Scotiabank Wednesday Night Hockey, the Oilers, Flames, Canucks, out-of-market matchups, the Stanley Cup Playoffs and the NHL Draft.
It was early in his sixth year in Calgary that Bennett asked for a trade, as his ice time continued to dwindle, his productivity never returned to the 18-goal pace of his rookie season, his penchant for offensive-zone penalties plagued him and his short stints as a centre never worked out.
“There were definitely times where my career in Calgary, and the way things were going, I definitely wouldn’t have thought (he’d be picked for Team Canada),” said the 28-year-old Saturday before his club was blanked 3-0 by the Flames.
“But I knew deep down I was more of a player than I ever showed in Calgary, and I could be more of a player.
“I think I just needed that fresh start.”
Treliving traded Bennett to Florida in 2021 for Emil Heinemen and a second-rounder that was later packaged up to rent Calle Jarnkrok. It marked the end of a frustrating era for Bennett and the Flames, as they were unable to unearth ‘Playoff Sam Bennett’ during the regular season.“I think playing centre ice really helps him and his game, and I think he was on the wing (in Calgary),” said Maurice.
“It is always a good reminder when things aren’t going well for a player, you’ve got to be careful how hard you judge them because there’s good in all these guys if you find it in the right spot.”
The admiration Maurice and the Panthers organization have for Bennett makes it hard to imagine they can’t come up with a deal.
But perhaps his meteoric rise as a Panther has indeed priced him out of a market full of superstars.
/* if ( "1" == true && 'undefined' !== typeof window.getIndexAds ) { var so = {preroll:{1:{1:{siteID:191888},2:{siteID:191889}}}}; adServerUrl = window.getIndexAds( 'http://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/ads?sz=640x360&cust_params=domain%3Dsportsnet.ca&iu=%2F7326%2Fen.sportsnet.web%2FVideo&ciu_szs=300x250&impl=s&gdfp_req=1&env=vp&output=vast&unviewed_position_start=1&ad_rule=1&vid=6364488663112&cmsid=384', so, permalink); } else { adServerUrl = "http://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/ads?sz=640x360&cust_params=domain%3Dsportsnet.ca&iu=%2F7326%2Fen.sportsnet.web%2FVideo&ciu_szs=300x250&impl=s&gdfp_req=1&env=vp&output=vast&unviewed_position_start=1&ad_rule=1&vid=6364488663112&cmsid=384"; } */ adServerUrl = "http://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/ads?sz=640x360&cust_params=domain%3Dsportsnet.ca&iu=%2F7326%2Fen.sportsnet.web%2FVideo&ciu_szs=300x250&impl=s&gdfp_req=1&env=vp&output=vast&unviewed_position_start=1&ad_rule=1&vid=6364488663112&cmsid=384"; var adServerUrl_result = adServerUrl.includes("cust_params"); var queryString=''; if(adServerUrl_result){ var gettheDUFI = false; if (localStorage.getItem("consent") !== null && localStorage.getItem("consent-targeting") !== null) gettheDUFI = localStorage.getItem("theRED_loc");
if(gettheDUFI){ queryString += "dufiid=" + gettheDUFI + '&'; queryString += "ppid=" + gettheDUFI + '&'; var ppid = "ppid=" + gettheDUFI + '&'; }
var DUFI_IP = false; if (localStorage.getItem("consent") !== null && localStorage.getItem("consent-targeting") !== null) DUFI_IP = sessionStorage.getItem("DUFI_IP");
if(DUFI_IP){ queryString += "dufiip=" + DUFI_IP + '&'; }
adServerUrl = adServerUrl.replace(/cust_params=/, ppid + 'cust_params=' + encodeURIComponent(queryString) ); }
$el.after( unescape("%3Cscript src=\"" + (document.location.protocol == "https:" ? "https://sb" : "http://b") + ".scorecardresearch.com/beacon.js\" %3E%3C/script%3E") );
$( document ).one( 'ready', function() { $( "#video_container-673806" ).SNPlayer( { bc_account_id: "1704050871", bc_player_id: "JCdte3tMv", //autoplay: true, //is_has_autoplay_switch: false, bc_videos: 6364488663112, is_has_continuous_play: "false", adserverurl: adServerUrl, section: "", thumbnail: "https://www.sportsnet.ca/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/6364488663112-1024x576.jpg", direct_url: "https://www.sportsnet.ca/nhl/video/bennett-finishes-panthers-crisp-passing-play-for-go-ahead-marker/" }); });
“I don’t know if I got this exact date right, and I’m not picking on anybody, but I think March 21, 2021 he was healthy scratched,” said Maurice, who was just a few weeks off of the actual date of Mar. 6 when Bennett was kept out of the Battle of Alberta.
“That’s not that long ago.
“He’s covered a lot of distance in a short period of time.
“Now he’s a major part of our identity, he has a Stanley Cup ring, and he’s going to represent his country (at the 4 Nations Faceoff).
“So, it’s also a reminder to all players to work as hard as he does every single day and great things can happen for you.”
In February, Bennett will soon be tasked with playing an important role for Team Canada, playing a third- or fourth-line mucker role designed to limit and frustrate lads like Matthew Tkachuk, who was his teammate in Florida and Calgary.
“As a competitor on the other team it’s not going to be fun playing against him, but I’m so happy he’s earned that opportunity,” said Tkachuk, a U.S. team pillar.
“It’s so well deserved. He’s earned it, and done it the hard way.
“He’s really made a name for himself the last few years in the playoffs. The regular season too, but he’s such a playoff player and you look at the 4 Nations, they’re all Game 7’s.”
