SalarySwishSalarySwish
Avatar

Flames22

Flames22
Member Since
Jun. 17, 2016
Favourite Team
Calgary Flames
Forum Posts
225
Posts per Day
0.1
Forum: Armchair-GMMar. 28, 2021 at 2:55 p.m.
Thread: Eichel and Arvidsson offseason
<div class="quote"><div class="quote_t">Quoting: <b>NYR1983</b></div><div>BUF can’t draft and they don’t want to wait to potentially compete.

They would want something more like Gaudreau, Monahan, Anderson/Kylington + 2nd.. Monahan is truly a great 2C that would work behind cozens. We’re have been through a ton of these that are high in picks and prospects and BUF fans want no part in it</div></div>

Yeah that's the thing, I've seen so many different perspectives on the whole Eichel situation. Some Buffalo fans have suggested things like this, where they want something focused on the shorter-term (i.e. talented NHL players, so no long rebuild). Others, like some of the other people commenting in this thread, want a package that is more focused on the future and prospects. It's tough to say how the cards will ultimately be played, but I definitely agree with you that it would be painful for Buffalo fans to have to watch another rebuild.
Forum: Armchair-GMMar. 28, 2021 at 2:38 p.m.
Thread: Eichel and Arvidsson offseason
<div class="quote"><div class="quote_t">Quoting: <b>Jdfitz77</b></div><div>Disagree
And no interest in Monahan or Gaudreau
And no interest in trying to flip either of them

I don’t think u guys have the pieces to get Eichel
You don’t have any high end Center prospects- or other ultra high end young talent- unless you’re building a package around Tkachuk

An offer that might get Eichel- MIGHT - would be something like:
From LA
Byfield/Turcotte (1 of)
Villardi/Bjornfoot/Kaliyev (1 of, maybe 2)
Multiple 1sts

Half the league will be bidding on Jack
Prove will be VERY high

If not, we KEEP HIM
He’s under contract for 5 more years after this</div></div>

I agree with you, Calgary doesn't have the high-end/flashy prospects. So if that's the expected return, then so be it.

But where I push back on this is that a team that has those types of flashy prospects (like LA, for example) is probably not trading for Eichel. Their window is too far away and they would rather just build around their own prospects. The teams that are going to be interested in Eichel are teams like Calgary or Vancouver or maybe Carolina - the teams who are entering (or at risk of leaving) a window, but need some upgrades to win during that window. Those teams are unlikely to have the flashy Center prospects that you want, but they still some have valuable pieces that they would be willing to move.

Not disagreeing with you that Eichel is worth a ton, but I think your expectations in terms of interested teams might not be accurate. If that's the case, as you say, Buffalo could hold on to Eichel.
Forum: Armchair-GMFeb. 18, 2021 at 11:26 a.m.
Thread: My Thoughts On Series Game 4 vs Canucks
I agree with much of what you have said here. Two points to add: First, I'm with Alfie on keeping the Tanev-Hanifin pairing together. I think they have too much chemistry together to try and break up, and while it would be nice to spread out the wealth a bit more, you can't teach chemistry. If we break them up, we risk going from 1 really good and 2 meh-to-weak pairings, to 3 meh pairings. Personally, I would leave Tanev-Hanifin together, and as suggested, try Valimaki-Andersson as a second pairing.

My other point is about the forwards. I completely agree with you that we need to stop putting the lines in a blender every two seconds, and I also agree with you that last year's lines could be very effective. That being said, just as a thought, I'd be curious what would happen if we switched Lucic and Tkachuk in what you have suggested. I have really liked the Lucic-Backlund-Mangiapane line so far this year, and I think Tkachuk and Bennett could be great compliments for one another (have we ever seen the two of them together?). I think a Tkachuk-Bennett-Dube line would forecheck super well and tire out opponents, while a Lucic-Backlund-Mangiapane line is defensively sound and difficult to matchup against. That leaves plenty of room and favourable matchups for the Johnny-Mony-Lindholm line. Just food for thought. And thank you for summarizing a lot of my sentiments these last few games with this post!
Forum: Armchair-GMFeb. 5, 2021 at 4:01 p.m.
Thread: Instead of Trading Him for Pennies on the Dollar
<div class="quote"><div class="quote_t">Quoting: <b>Canadianape</b></div><div>https://frozenpool.dobbersports.com/players/sam-bennett
go to this site and go through the years. you can see in every year he has been given opportunities with monahan and gaudreau.

in every year he was given opportunities with tkachuk and backlund

and in every year he was awful in those positions. so as the years progress he is given less and less chances because he doesn't deserve or earn them.

if you agree that hes our 8th best player then why would we punish someone higher on the depth chart so that bennet can play with better players. he has proven he has no chemistry with gaudreau or monahan and hes proven to have no chemistry with backlund and tkachuk.

the only time in the 6 years hes been a flame where he seemed to develop some chemistry is with dube and lucic last season.

Bennett is an anchor and the faster we can get rid of him the better off the flames will be</div></div>

The issue with the website you have quoted is that it does not show how many minutes are spent with each combination, it shows only the combinations that were tried at some point. So while you're correct that Bennett has been given SOME opportunities alongside better players, if you looked at the actual time on ice, I'm confident you would find that about 5-10% of his time has been spent with the Gaudreaus/Monahans/Tkachuks/Lindholms of the world, while the other 90-95% has been spent with the Brouwers/Rinaldos/Reiders/Jankowskis/etc. of the world. And while I'm not trying to say that these players were awful (they are better than I'll ever be and they played an important role for the Flames), they are not the ones who are most complementary to Bennett.

And that's where my issue lies. It's about finding the right players and combinations. The organization has (rightly) spent a lot of time and resources trying to find the right situations and linemates for Gaudreau and Backlund and Tkachuk and others. But that same service was not afforded to Bennett. Instead, they just stuck him in the bottom 6, usually out of position, and hoped that he would somehow figure it out. And when he didn't, they just blamed him and further reduced his ice time.

Again, I'm not saying that Bennett doesn't have his own issues, but it's a two-way street: As much as Bennett needs to play a more consistent game, I would have liked the team to give him a bit more to work with. It's not about punishing one of the other 7 players above him, it's about finding the right situation to bring out the best in everyone. And that's doubly important for a team that has said they want to role 4 lines (like the Flames this year). By not doing so, it hurts Bennett but it also hurts the rest of the team because we become easier to match up against.

Anyway, all this probably doesn't matter anymore, as I think the ship has sailed and Bennett's days as a Flame are numbered. So you'll get your wish of getting him off the team. But wherever he goes, if he plays in the top 6 at centre ice, I think we will all see what he could have been in Calgary. And I'm comfortable in saying that the Flames will regret losing him.
Forum: Armchair-GMJan. 31, 2021 at 7:17 p.m.
Thread: Instead of Trading Him for Pennies on the Dollar
<div class="quote"><div class="quote_t">Quoting: <b>Canadianape</b></div><div>You are delusional.

IUn the past three seasons all of the below has occured:

He was tried on monahan and Gaudreaus RW and he was awful.
He played plenty of time next to backlund and tkachuk and he was awful to the point that Frolik and now mangiapane were better in that position
the kid takes the stupidest most moronic penalties in the league and has absolutely no control of his stick
he has been given opportunities in these roles for multiple games at a time and he never rises up and seizes them.

This bull**** opinion that management has mismanaged him is braindead. The only thing they did wrong is not recognize what a huge bum he was when they drafted him and once they had made that mistake they perpetuated it by keeping him for so long that he literally has no value left.

IF you refuse to accept what i said above then please explain to me who he is better than in our current top 7. He is at best the 8th best player on this team
Monahan, Gaudreau, Dube, Mangiapane, Lindholm, Tkachuk, Backlund.

Finally after putting up 9 points in 7 games in the bubble where the **** is that Sam bennet to start this season. He has looked like a steaming pile of **** for the first 7 games this year despite playing with "better players" in backlund and levio/simon.

Literlly no sam bennett stat backs any of the opinions you have</div></div>

Well I don't think he was given a big enough sample size to accurately determine whether he would have been a good fit with either of Gaudreau, or Tkachuk. You'll probably disagree with me on that so agree to disagree.

But let's leave that aside for a second, and move to the bigger point that I'm trying to make here. I'm not saying that Bennett is the best forward on the team. In fact, I agree with your suggestion that he is probably the 8th best forward on the team. My issue is that it's wasteful to give him 10 minutes of ice time per night with players who don't complement his playing style (many of whom were the 12th and 13th best forwards on the team). Fine, maybe Bennett's not as talented as Gaudreau and not as good as Tkachuk. And I think we've seen enough to say that he's never gonna carry a line by himself. But that doesn't mean he should never play with the team's best forwards. Crafting a roster/lineup is about more than just sticking the team's best 6 forwards on the top two lines. It's about determining who brings out the best in each other. That's why Pittsburgh and Chicago and LA and Detroit were such good teams in the last 15-20 years. They figured out how to use their depth and how to get their role players to complement one another.

As I've said before elsewhere, Sam Bennett is not the player we thought/hoped for at #4 overall. Whether that's because of poor management or simply because he's not a good player is up for debate (I think I've made it clear where I stand on that, but it's my personal opinion). Regardless, the point is he's still a useful player so instead of giving him scraps, give him a legitimate opportunity. Not just a game or two, but a month. I very much believe that the Flames (or any other team for that matter) could be a really deep team if they did that.
Forum: Armchair-GMJan. 31, 2021 at 2:31 p.m.
Thread: Instead of Trading Him for Pennies on the Dollar
<div class="quote"><div class="quote_t">Quoting: <b>Canadianape</b></div><div>im sorry but bennett has been given every possible chance in the last 6 years, he has played pretty much every line combo and every position and he just isnt able to elevate. why would we handicapp lindholm and tkachuk by making them play with a centre who isnt and has never been a top 6 guy. if you move lindholm to wing then backlund becomes our second best centre not bennett.

the pin should have been pulled on this guy 2 years ago but since we waited we will just have to take whatever we can get for him and move on</div></div>

Please explain to me how he has been given "every possible chance." Because let's be honest, the man has been played at 4th line RW, 4th line LW and alongside guys like Jankowski and Brouwer more often than not. He has not been given a chance at his position (Centre) and he has not been given complementary line mates. When did he ever play with Gaudreau? When did he ever play with Lindholm? Heck, when was the last time he played with Backlund before this year?

Sam Bennett has been a trooper and done everything that was asked of him. Unfortunately, every time he does something good (like last year in the bubble or like in his rookie season), manage seems to decide that they've seen enough and set him up to fail instead.
Forum: Armchair-GMJan. 30, 2021 at 9:29 p.m.
Thread: Supposedly Bennet wants out
Honestly, if it were me, I would probably do the same as Bennett. It drives me absolutely nuts how this organization has treated Bennett. During his rookie season, they ease him into the NHL by having him play wing on the Backlund line. Sensible thing to do, and it paid off! Bennett puts up good numbers, gets a lot of confidence, and gets the chance to centre his own line the following year. Great! The problem is, they stuck Brouwer on his wing and with all due respect to Brouwer (he was a good player who had a lot of success in the NHL), he was not the right player to complement Bennett. So Bennett struggled. And this is were it all goes downhill. Instead of moving Bennett back to Backlund's wing until some help could be brought in, the team just kinda hoped Bennett would figure it out with Brouwer, and when he didn't, they relegated him to 4th line minutes and/or being a healthy scratch. Because apparently that's the way to develop your franchise's highest overall draft pick ever. "Yeah it's true we need someone who can keep up with Gaudreau, and yeah it's true that we could use a better winger to play with Backlund, but we're not gonna play Bennett there... he hasn't earned it. He's gotta be better." And maybe it's true that Bennett didn't earn more with his play, but it's a two-way street here. You don't bring your promising rookie up to the NHL to play him BOTH 1) out of position AND 2) on the 4th line (maybe one, but definitely not both). And you especially don't punish him for having too much success in his rookie season but asking him to carry players who don't complement his play style.

Anyway, after years of being asked to play 4th line minutes, Bennett finally catches a break in the bubble where he gets to play centre (yay!), gets to play top-9 minutes (double yay), AND gets a decent linemate in Dube (triple yay!!). And wouldn't you know it, Bennett plays lights out. When he was finally given the chance, he proved he belongs. And after the season, during the exit interviews, Bennett mentioned all of this frustration to management. Management sympathizes with him and says they would play him centre this season. So what do they do? They play him at centre, but on the fourth line with Nordstrom and Lucic. Because that makes sense. And when it doesn't work, they move him back to wing (to be fair, at least it's on the third line this time). Either way, it's no wonder why the man has asked for a trade. When your boss ignores tells you one thing and does the other, all while ignoring your talent, you get tired of it pretty quickly. It's especially true when it happens for 3+ years.

I often wonder how different Bennett's career might have been with some different coaching/management. To be successful, Bennett needs a guy with some speed and/or a great shot on his line (i.e. Lindholm or Gaudreau or even Dube; not Brouwer or Jankowski). What happens if Bennett was the one who always got to play 1C instead of Monahan? What happens if it's Bennett who got the top powerplay time instead of Monahan? Not saying that he would have been as good or scored as many goals, I'm just pointing out the fact that Monahan was given that opportunity and Bennett wasn't.

I will admit that Sam Bennett is probably not the type of player we were all hoping for with 4th overall, but that does not mean he is not useful or is not talented. And I would even go as far as to say that Bennett's stats would resemble those of a 4OA player a lot more had the organization put him in a better position to succeed. Instead, we always find ourselves wanting more out of Bennett and wonder why he hasn't figured it out yet.

For what it's worth, I personally would trade Backlund and play Bennett at 3C.
Tkachuk - Lindholm - Lievo
Gaudreau - Monahan - Mangiapane
Dube - Bennett - Gawdin
Lucic - Ryan - Simon

But that won't happen because apparently Bennett hasn't 'earned' it. Maybe they'll trade him for another 7D at the deadline.
Forum: Armchair-GMJan. 23, 2021 at 12:40 a.m.
Thread: Could this Happen
I'm just not convinced that a deal revolving around Dubois and Monahan makes sense for the Flames at this point. Don't get me wrong, I think Dubois is a great player and he would play well with Gaudreau. He's also a few years younger and has better underlying numbers than Monahan, both of which are positives. But is the value that Dubois adds to this team really that much as compared to Monahan? Does he make the team that much harder to play against? Maybe marginally, but that's assuming he continues to progress. And if his progression slows or he just doesn't click with the team (reminds me a bit of Matt Duchene situation a few years ago), Calgary will have lost a consistent 25-30 goal scorer, as well as someone who gets along well with Johnny in Monahan.

Anyway, I'm not opposed to bringing in Dubois, I'm just not convinced that he's THAT much of an upgrade over Monahan that it would be worth taking the risk.
Forum: Armchair-GMJan. 22, 2021 at 6:42 p.m.
Forum: Armchair-GMJan. 22, 2021 at 5:14 p.m.
Thread: Calgary Trade - Opinions Please
<div class="quote"><div class="quote_t">Quoting: <b>Propeller09</b></div><div>Is he? Last two seasons.


Kuraly:
GP G A PTS +/- PIM EV PP SH GW EV PP SH S S% TSA TOI ATOI FOW FOL FO% HIT BLK TK GV
140 14 30 44 4 72 14 0 0 3 28 1 1 229 6.1 375 1895 13:32 539 512 51.3 274 66 62 59
Bennett:
GP G A PTS +/- PIM EV PP SH GW EV PP SH S S% TSA TOI ATOI FOW FOL FO% HIT BLK TK GV
123 21 18 39 -7 129 17 4 0 2 15 3 0 197 10.7 356 1594 12:58 139 123 53.1 222 40 44 60</div></div>

The issue when looking only at Bennett's traditional counting stats is that Bennett has spent the last number of years on the fourth line with players like Troy Brouwer, Mark Jankowksi, and Matt Stajan. That's nothing against those guys, who are all excellent hockey players and who played important roles for the Flames. But the reality is that these players were not the best linemates for Bennett - To be successful, Bennett needs a guy with some speed and/or a great shot on his line (i.e. Lindholm or Gaudreau or even Dube; not Brouwer or Janko). So while Bennett's stats are comparable to Kuraly's, I think Bennett is a much better player than what his stats show.

I often wonder how different Bennett's career might have been with some different coaching. What happens if Bennett was the one who always got to play 1C instead of Monahan? What happens if it's Bennett who got the top powerplay time instead of Monahan? Not saying that he would have been as good or scored as many goals, I'm just pointing out the fact that Monahan was given that opportunity and Bennett wasn't. And some will say that Bennett didn't earn the opportunity, but I beg to differ - his rookie season (playing on Backlund's wing) was very good and showed a lot of promise. It was so good, in fact, that the next season, the team pulled Bennett off of Backlund's wing and gave him his own line to centre. Good idea in theory, but the linemates weren't there for him. So instead of moving Bennett back to a better position until additional help could be brought in, they just kinda hoped he would figure it out with Brouwer, and when he didn't, they relegated him to 4th line minutes and/or being a healthy scratch.

I will admit that Sam Bennett is probably not the type of player we were all hoping for with 4th overall, but that does not mean he is not useful or is not talented. And I would even go as far as to say that Bennett's stats would resemble those of a 4OA player a lot more had the organization put him in a better position to succeed. Instead, we always find ourselves wanting more out of Bennett and wonder why he hasn't figured it out yet.
Forum: Armchair-GMOct. 30, 2020 at 10:54 a.m.
Thread: Perfect Lines for this Roster
<div class="quote"><div class="quote_t">Quoting: <b>Alfie11</b></div><div>Bennett doesn’t belong in the top 6 and the 4th line doesn’t have a centre...</div></div>

I gotta disagree with you on Bennett, Alfie. I don't think we can honestly say that Bennett doesn't belong in the top 6 because the truth is, we've never actually seen him play there for a fair period of time. Sure, there's an argument that "he hasn't been good in a bottom-6 role so why should we let him into the top 6." But a) Bennett was not drafted to play in the bottom six; and b) he hasn't had a lot to work with while he's been there. The fact that he's been bounced around from 4th line LW to 3rd line LW to 4th line RW, and paired with guys like Jankowski, Brouwer, Lazar, etc. not only has hurt his numbers, but it has hurt his development. There's a reason that Bennett was so dominant in these last playoffs, and it wasn't just because he typically plays well during the second season: It was because he finally played centre and had some decent linemates to work with.

Now, I'm not convinced that the Lucic-Bennett-Dube line can play as well as they did for 82 games, especially in a compressed season. But Ward needs to carry the Bennett-is-a-skilled-centre mentality into the regular season. Let him run loose with Tkachuk and Lindholdm (as suggested here), or at least with Dube. Heck, even put him with Gaudreau! (although I like the lines suggested here better). It's about time that this organization put Bennett in a position to succeed, and in my estimation, failing to do so not only unfair, but it's unwise. Indeed, we will all regret it next year if/when he is a member of the Kraken.
Forum: Armchair-GMOct. 10, 2020 at 3:22 p.m.
Thread: Hall to Calgary so Gaudreau and Hanifin to Boston
<div class="quote"><div class="quote_t">Quoting: <b>Hidalgo</b></div><div>I agree man. Why are flames fans so eager to sell of Gaudreau for nothing? I get he disappears in playoffs but he’s annually one of the top scorers in the league and he’s on a cheap contract. Wouldn’t be getting rid of him unless it’s a massive overpay</div></div>

To be clear, I do not want to trade Gaudreau. I think he's a good player and we are better off building around him. But at the same time, it's unfair to say that this proposal is "selling him off for nothing." Carlo is a very solid top 4 RD who is still only 23 years old. He will be solid for years to come. Kase is also young and has potential to shine in the right situation. Not to mention the 1st that's coming back, as well as the fact that this lets us sign Hall in the first place.

So yeah, I'm with you, I think it's unfortunate that so many Flames fans/journalists are willing to trade Gaudreau for bargain bin prices. But let's not overlook the return here either.