Wes Gilbertson of the Calgary Sun.: Sam Bennett’s agent Darren Ferris confirmed to Elliotte Friedman over the weekend that he would like “a change of scene”.
Bennett didn’t say why, but it will likely be about “opportunity”.
So far this season he has been used as the third line winger or as the center of the fourth line. Dillon Dube, Josh Leivo and Dominik Simon were used in the top six ahead of Bennett.
Teams are always looking for the likes of Bennett, and he’s the type of player the Calgary Flames would love to keep. He’s looking for a top six chance but he has yet to prove to the Flames that he should be in the top six.
The cost of getting Bennett won’t be high, but how low is Flames GM Brad Trevliving’s will to go. If they move him, they will try to replace him with a similar player who is right-handed.
There is also the potential two week quarantine problem if they sell it to a team that plays in the US
Pat Steinberg of the Flames Nation: It is unknown when Sam Bennett actually made his trade request. Was it recently or was it off season?
Bennett doesn’t seem like the type who would make it a problem for Flames GM Brad Treliving.
After the request is published, Treliving can get a bigger incentive to speed up the process a bit. The teams’ in-season signatures haven’t given the Flames the boost they’d been hoping for.
Bennett should be in the top nine. So if they move him they could be looking for another top nine, maybe this could use a change of scene as well. Vancouver Virtucks Jake Virtanen or Edmonton Oilers Jesse Puljujarvi were called two names.
If the Flames try to release his $ 2.55 million salary cap, they might be trying to get a draft or a prospect.
Bennett will be an RFA after the season.
