“I wish I had more time with you.”
Those were reportedly the parting words from Calgary Flames head coach Darryl Sutter to Sam Bennett as he packed his bags for Sunrise to join the Florida Panthers. It was April 2021, and Bennett’s trade request out of Calgary had been granted.
Sutter was just a month into his second turn as the Flames’ head coach at the time. The following season, he’d steer the Flames to 111 points and the second round of The Stanley Cup Playoffs.
“More time.” It’s a tantalizing hint at what could’ve been.
Sam Bennett 2.0?
Bubbling up this week are rumours that Connor Zary is frustrated with how his career is progressing and may look for greener pastures. Evidence of frustration can be heard in this quote he gave at season’s end:
“When you have younger guys with talent and skill, you don’t want to hold them back. You don’t want to put a leash on them… At the end of the day, who gives a shit if they go out there and make a mistake? It’s going to happen.”
This echoes the sentiments of Bennett’s underwhelming tenure as a Flame: an inability to click into a role and a squandering of talent. Will Zary become Bennett 2.0?
But the two situations have significant differences.
Bennett toiled for seven seasons (well, six seasons plus one game) while Zary’s only had three. Over that time, Bennett averaged 0.35 points per game, while Zary has averaged 0.45 so far. This is from Zary despite having no superstar teammates and having lower expectations on him from being drafted 24th overall rather than Bennett’s 4th.
In other words, the perceived underperformance of Zary is far from as dire as Bennett’s was.
Coaching is not the problem
The complaint that the current head coach, Ryan Huska, is stunting players lacks evidence. Other young players are developing just fine.
For all the criticism of Zayne Parekh’s ice time this past season, the result is an undeniably excellent rookie season.
Another great rookie season came from Matvei Gridin. He graduated to the NHL midseason and spoke of his seasoning in the AHL: “I play 23 minutes in the AHL, and I’d likely only be playing 12 minutes in the NHL. At 19 years old, it’s probably best for me to be playing a lot so I can be ready when they need me soon.”
Star goaltender Dustin Wolf was slow-cooked to perfection in the AHL. Matt Coronato found his footing. And Hunter Brzustewicz is off to a good start.
None of these players has failed under poor management. They’re all brimming with talent and in their early twenties. It’s a cohort Zary ought to fit into.
The path forward
Unless General Manager Craig Conroy gets an offer he can’t refuse, a trade would almost certainly be selling low. Even if a trade is ultimately the move, it’d be prudent to try to build up Zary’s value first.
The Flames are rebuilding and expected to be a basement dweller this upcoming season. So Zary’s opinion of “who gives a shit if they go out there and make a mistake,” well, yeah. When the playoffs are out of the picture, it’s kinda true.
He’s expressed wanting to play centre, which happens to be a position where the Flames are thin. In fact, it’s hard to imagine many teams would present an easier path for the man. So give him a good spin and see what we have.
He’s young, he’s talented, he just needs to put it together.
A trade request rescinded
Back to coach Sutter and Bennett. They overlapped for just a month, but in that month, Bennett started to impress. His playing time increased overall, and in a variety of situations, his production went up, as did his consistency.
What history forgets is that things were looking so good that Bennett rescinded his trade request. The trade happened anyway, whether because the deal was too far along to walk back or because the General Manager Brad Treliving decided he now wanted the trade.
Had he stuck around, you wonder if that elite 2021–22 edition of the Flames might’ve gone further in the playoffs with a future Conn Smythe Trophy winner on the roster.
Bennett was just shy of 25 years old when he found a higher gear. That’s how old Zary will be when the 2026–27 season begins. A higher gear is more than possible.