Let’s break down the pros and cons of signing the former Flame and I’ll give my opinion at the end of the article.

Pros

He’s a unicorn

Sam Bennett has turned into a key contributor for the Florida Panthers since being traded there in 2021. He has gone from being a player with an undefined role in Calgary, to second line centre on a Stanley Cup champion.

Bennett is a unicorn in today’s NHL. He has a combination of skill and physicality that only a handful of players possess across the league. It’s why he is going to be such a hot commodity this summer if he becomes a free agent.

Bennett has the ability to score a goal, rock an opponent with a huge hit, and drop the gloves to help turn the momentum of a game in favour of his team. That skill-set is something the Flames are missing from their lineup. Martin Pospisil provides physicality, but he doesn’t have the same finishing ability as Bennett. Nazem Kadri can score and play with snarl, but he doesn’t have the physicality that Bennett brings to the table.

The physicality is a huge part of what Bennett brings to the table. But he has also become a key offensive contributor in Florida.

Bennett may have not put up impressive numbers when he was in Calgary, mainly because he was never given a consistent opportunity to succeed or a defined role. But he flourished offensively as soon as he arrived in Florida.

Lack of centre depth

If there is one area of need the Flames need to address over the next few years it’s centre depth.

As of Apr. 29, the Flames have a soon to be 35-year-old Nazem Kadri, a 36-year-old Mikael Backlund, and two young, unproven centres in Morgan Frost and Connor Zary.

There are a lot of question marks when it comes to that group of players.

Will the Flames keep Nazem Kadri for the remaining four years of his contract that pays him $7 million per year?

How long will Mikael Backlund remain with the Flames? He has one year left on his contract and might want to explore another opportunity to win a Stanley Cup.

Morgan Frost is a restricted free agent and has been a inconsistent player throughout his career.

Is Connor Zary going to be a centre long term?

On top of all that the Flames don’t have any prospects in their system that project to be a top six centre.

When you take all that into consideration, it makes sense why the Flames would potentially target a guy like Bennett this summer.

Playoff performer

There is an old saying around the NHL. There are players who can get you to the playoffs. And there are players that can help you win in the playoffs.

Sam Bennett is in the latter group. He is a guy who elevates his game when things get more difficult. There aren’t a ton of players around the NHL that you can say that about.

We saw it first hand in Calgary. In 30 playoff games with the Flames, Bennett put up 11 goals, 8 assists, and 19 points. That’s a 30 goal, 52 point pace over 82 games. Both numbers were well above his career average in the regular season in Calgary.

Bennett carried on those playoff performances to Florida where he’s been able to put up 33 points in his last 43 playoff games.

And don’t forget about his work at the 4 Nations Face-Off where he become an integral part of Team Canada’s victory. He scored a massive goal in the gold medal game, fought Brady Tkachuk, and was a physical force in the three games he played in.

Simply put, Bennett is a big game player.

Cons

Business

A lot of the downside of signing a guy like Sam Bennett comes down to the business side of the game.

Bennett is going to sign a massive contract this summer because of all the things I mentioned in the first part of the article. The guy is a unicorn and those types of players do not hit the free agent market very often. On top of that, the salary cap is increasing significantly over the next few years. There is going to be a bidding war for this player.

That is going to drive the cost up substantially for the team that ends up signing the soon to be 29 year old. My guess is that it’s going to take a 7 year, $7+ million AAV to get a deal done.

Is that the type of contract the Flames should be giving to a 29-year-old when they are in the beginning stages of a re-tool?

Will his body hold up?

Is Bennett going to be the type of player who ages gracefully like a Nazem Kadri?

Bennett plays a physical, intense, in your face style of game. He is the type of player who puts his body on the line every night when he throws his massive hits or gets in fights.

He has a tendency to miss time with injury. He’s only played in 80 or more games two times in his career, and those were both with the Flames in 2016-17 and 2017-18.

When you’re giving out a $50+ million contract to a 29-year-old, you have to be certain that they are going to play at a high level throughout the duration of the deal.

Winning cycle

The Calgary Flames are in the beginning stages of a youth movement. They are in the process of acquiring young talent through the draft that will hopefully become difference makers for the organization within the next 3-6 years.

Is now the time for the Flames to be signing 29-year-olds to seven year contracts?

I would argue the Flames are still a long way from becoming a true cup contender in the NHL. I am talking about becoming the type of team like a Vegas, Florida, Dallas, Colorado or Tampa Bay. By the time the Flames hopefully get to that level, Bennett will be well into his 30s.

Signing a guy like Bennett feels like it would be a smart move to make 3-4 years from now. That way you can truly take advantage of the prime years of his career.

My two cents

The decision to sign Sam Bennett comes down to what Craig Conroy’s future centre plans are.

Does he see Zary and Frost as two centre’s the Flames can build around long term? If so, then signing Bennett won’t make sense.

Does Conroy want to keep both Backlund and Kadri around beyond the 2025-26 season? If so, then signing Bennett won’t make sense.

There are a few things that could happen where it would make sense for the Flames to sign Bennett.

1. Trade one or multiple of Kadri, Backlund, Frost, or Zary.
2. Move Zary to the wing for good.
3. Don’t re-sign Backlund after next season

If one or two of those things happen, signing Bennett makes nothing but sense. If they keep that logjam down the middle for years to come, then I just don’t see where Bennett fits in with this roster.

Do you think the Flames should sign Sam Bennett this summer?