Sam Bennett has come a long way since his days with the Calgary Flames. Calling the 28-year-old a superstar calibre player may be a stretch, but he has absolutely cemented his status as one of the best power forwards in the game today. He was recently named to Canada’s roster for the upcoming 4 Nations Face-Off tournament, something nobody in Calgary would have imagined possible five seasons ago.
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Bennett came into the league with a ton of hype after being selected fourth overall by the Flames in 2014. He wound up playing in 11 NHL playoff games that same season and looked like a budding star, recording three goals while throwing his body around every time he had the chance.
The following season, Bennett recorded 18 goals and 36 points, a strong rookie campaign which continued to have fans in Calgary very excited for what was to come. That ended up being the best season he would have in a Flames uniform, however, as he wound up struggling immensely offensively, even being healthy scratched on more than one occasion. He was eventually traded to the Florida Panthers, and has since rediscovered his game.
Bennett in Line for a Big Pay Day
Bennett has turned into a force for the Panthers, continuing to be a wrecking ball while also putting up solid offensive numbers. The soon-to-be unrestricted free agent (UFA) has 13 goals and 26 points through 30 games this season, and is in line to get paid a boatload on his new deal.
Due to the immense talent the Panthers possess, they have less than $1 million in cap space, and will also be doing whatever they can to re-sign their other big pending UFA, Aaron Ekblad. Bennett’s name has been floated around in trade speculation because of his contract situation, with some believing that he could be moved ahead of the trade deadline.
Whether the Panthers choose to move Bennett or keep him in hopes of another Stanley Cup run, the odds of him sticking around in Florida past the end of this season don’t seem particularly high at this time. He’ll have plenty of interest should he hit the open market, with perhaps even the Flames getting into the mix.
Sportsnet’s Eric Francis floated the idea of a Bennett reunion in an article on Monday morning, noting that the Flames reunited with Ryan Lomberg this summer after spending the prior four seasons with the Panthers.
As Francis noted, Bennett himself – who joined the Panthers partway through the 2020-21 season – credited now Flames forward Jonathan Huberdeau for helping him rediscover his offensive touch. The two played on a line together for the majority of the 2021-22 campaign, which also saw Bennett register a career-high 28 goals.
Bringing Back Bennett Would Make Sense for Flames
From the Flames perspective, signing Bennett this summer would check a lot of boxes. He would make them a far more difficult team to play against, and at 28 years old, fits into their rebuilding timeline. Perhaps most important of all, he is very familiar with Huberdeau, and could help the Flames’ highest-paid player get his offensive game back to what it once was.
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The question is whether Bennett would be interested in returning to Calgary. He was viewed by many as a marginal NHLer by the end of his Flames tenure, and could very well hold bitterness over how he was deployed during his time with the organization. That said, it’s a new coaching and management regime, and, he would be given the opportunity to play with a player he believes helped revive his career. Should he make it to free agency, it will be fascinating to see if the Flames choose to make him an offer.
