Calgary Flames got Matthew Tkachuk with a steal of a sixth-pick at the 2016 draft. He may be in his first season, but he’s already performing better than the Flames highest ever draft pick at the 2014 draft, Sam Bennett.
When the Calgary Flames found out they would have the sixth pick, there were nerves. Mainly because they had been watching son of former NHL player Keith Tkachuk during his minor league seasons. And for weeks, even months, before the draft, they knew they wanted Matthew Tkachuk.
So when Matthew wasn’t claimed by the Columbus Blue Jackets at the third pick, he said he knew he would be coming to Calgary and his family was ecstatic.
Now, the sixth pick is a relatively high draft choice, but definitely not the highest the Flames have ever had. Their highest came at the 2014 draft, when they were lucky enough to get Sam Bennett. Bennett was projected at being the highest rated North American player for the draft. But then there were problems with his shoulder that he kept secret and he failed to even do a single pull-up at the NHL combine before the draft.
Nonetheless, the Flames still had their eye on the kid. And they knew they wanted him. So again, like Tkachuk, they were very lucky to get the player of their choice.
However, being the highest-ever pick in history of a franchise, you have some big expectations. And unfortunately, Bennett hasn’t quite been living up to those expectations.
Bennett rookie year
In Sam Bennett’s rookie year in the 2014-2015 season, he had gotten a shoulder injury and unfortunately couldn’t play the start of the season since he needed surgery. The Calgary Flames decided to send him back down to his minor team, only for him to get recalled back up right before the playoffs.
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When being sent back down to the Kingston Frontenacs of the OHL, he had 11 goals and 13 assists in 11 games.
Back in the NHL, he played in one game in the regular season which was the last game of the regular season. He came back just in time for the playoffs. In that last game of the season, he had an assist in his NHL debut.
In the playoffs, he didn’t have a lot to show for it. But keep in mind that he barely played in the NHL before this. So he was basically thrown into the playoffs to start his NHL career. He had three goals and one assist, one being a game-winning goal against the Vancouver Canucks.
He may not have had a lot to show for it, but he still treasures his playoff experience.
Via NHL.com:
"“Being able to play in those games against Anaheim, who is a really big team, it showed me I had to get bigger and stronger in the off-season,” Bennett said. “This year, I feel a lot more confident.”“I want to make an impact, I don’t want to be a guy that plays a couple of games and then sits out a couple of games. I want to be in the lineup every game.”"
Now let’s get into his sophomore year.
Bennett, 2015-2016 season
In this season, it was still technically Bennett’s rookie season since he only played in one game the season prior. This season was a little rough for Bennett because, again, he didn’t quite have the season he was hoping for.
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At one point, he was going through a bit of a goal drought, similar to what we’ve been seeing this season.
In his 77 games, he had 18 goals and 18 assists. So not completely horrible, but not highest-ever-pick-in-a-franchise great. The Calgary Flames management and coaching staff were hoping and expecting more out of Bennett, but they still had their hopes up. He’s still young and adjusting to the NHL level.
And even though he wasn’t showing it on the scoresheet, he was still making an impact. He had many chances and every game everyone would say, “ok, he NEEDS to get a goal today.” And every game, he’d have a lot of chances. But every game, the puck would just not find the back of the net.
So nobody really gave up on the kid. He wasn’t getting the points, but he had a whole lot of potential and the Calgary Flames were excited to see how much he would grow over the next few seasons.
Bennett this season
Now we get into this season and going into it, Sam Bennett felt confident. He had the previous season as experience and he put on some weight during the off-season.
Via Calgary Herald:
"“This summer was my longest summer of training, I think I put on about 10 pounds (of muscle). It’s definitely nice to come in and not worry about rookie camp and get right into training camp and being around the guys. Every year, you get more and more comfortable. As you get more comfortable, I think that helps your play. It’s definitely nice to have some experience under your belt.”"
However, Calgary Flames fans and analysts alike are all aware of his struggles this season. He has just 11 goals and 10 assists in 62 games and is -12. He has definitely not quite had the same success as the Flames last few tops picks have had like Sean Monahan and Matthew Tkachuk.
Now, I know it’s not exactly fair to compare him to other Flames picks, but life isn’t fair so we’re going to do it anyways. And being the highest-ever pick the Flames have ever had, he’s going to be looked at with a microscope at his play.
Compared to Tkachuk
When Matthew Tkachuk was drafted at the sixth-overall pick. It’s safe to say that nobody expected him to be where he’s at right now. He’s third on the team in points right after Mikael Backlund and Johnny Gaudreau. He has 11 goals and 30 assists to give him 41 points in 59 games. It should be noted however that he had the second most amount of points a few hours before Gaudreau decided to have a three-point game. He also has the second highest +/- on the team with 12 and is tied for the most amount of assists on the team with 30.
Sam Bennett currently has 58 points in his career so far, and Matthew Tkachuk may just end up beating that in his rookie year alone. I’m not sure if Tkachuk will get more than 55 points, however he’ll easily pass Bennett next season.
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Tkachuk is also fifth among rookies in points and second in assists. Something that sticks out is his PIM. He’s leading the Calgary Flames and all rookies for PIM with 94 and is fourth in the league in that stat.
He has definitely already made some enemies in the NHL so far. And his line, alongside Backlund and Michael Frolik, or the 3M line, has been a big factor in the Flames late success. This line, ever since they came together on October 25th, has been the Flames best and most consistent line this season. Actually, in the Flames last five games, this line has a combined total of 17 points.
The Flames currently hold a wild-card spot and a big reason for this is this line and the rookie Matthew Tkachuk.
Tkachuk has been doing extremely well since being paired up on that line that people are now talking about his name in Calder conversations. He’s not so much in those conversations yet, of course with Auston Matthews and Patrik Laine. But people are now starting to realize that he’s up there as well with those big names. And people now WANT him included in those conversations as well.
Via calgaryflames.com:
"“One of the top lines in the league, for sure, both ends,” Mark Giordano said last month. “But we’ve been saying that all year. Can’t say much more. The goals they’ve been scoring are huge. […] They get rewarded for defensive play, which is what we want to be all about. They get above pucks, make good plays and good decisions.“It’s been fun to watch.”"
There were also conversations about if Bennett would potentially be traded since he was a healthy scratch about a month ago because of his scoring drought. When he was a scratch, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman pointed out that it didn’t take long at all after news made out that he would be a scratch for GM’s to pick up their phones. To which Calgary Flames GM, Brad Treliving, told all the teams, “Guys, no. Sam Bennett is not getting traded.”
What do you think? Will Tkachuk be more valuable to the team than Sam Bennett?
Next: Dennis Wideman is Willing to Waive No-Movement Clause
We can’t predict the future, of course. But maybe the Flames having the sixth pick in the coming years is better than the fourth pick.