Should Troy Brouwer Play With Sam Bennett?
No, Troy Brouwer should not play with the Calgary Flames highest-ever draft pick.
I’m sure Troy Brouwer is a perfectly likeable person and he’s probably great in the room or whatever intangible you want to cite in order to justify his presence on the Calgary Flames. But those factors don’t mean he should be put in a position where he’s dragging down Sam Bennett.
Way back in 2014 the Calgary Flames would draft the highest they have since the team moved to Calgary, and they had hopes for this kid. Could he be the franchise centre the team has so desperately needed since they shipped Joe Nieuwendyk to the Dallas Stars for the future face of the franchise? The team seemed to think so, taking a chance on a kid who couldn’t even do a pull-up (because his shoulder was so hurt it would need surgery that fall). He did manage to put up 91 points in 57 games his draft year though (21 points more than 2nd place Henri Ikonen).
Two good-but-not-great years later the Flames are tasked with a question. What is Sam Bennett and who are his ideal linemates? In his rookie year, he played a lot of time at LW with Mikael Backlund and Michael Frolik and experienced great success. That didn’t work for the Flames though. The team wanted him to be a centre. So, in his sophomore year, they handed Bennett the reigns of the 3rd line centre job. There was one problem, the Flames didn’t seem to have anyone to play with him on that line. That is where Troy Brouwer comes in.
Calgary Flames
The Numbers
Last season Sam Bennett played 376 min. at 5on5 with Troy Brouwer and in that time the duo controlled a measly 44.1% of the shot attempts in the game. That mark that is generally below replacement level and certainly not something you want from a former 4th overall pick. Away from Brouwer, however, Bennett and whoever he was playing with controlled 52.4% of the shot attempts in 505 min. of playing time. That’s a jump of over 8%, and much more indicative of what Sam Bennett likely is (all stats taken from PuckIQ.com).
Bennett is not the only player to experience this either. If you look at four other forwards that Brouwer spent at least 100 minutes with at 5on5 this past season; Johnny Gaudreau, Sean Monahan, Kris Versteeg, and Matt Stajan, each and every one of them controlled the pace of play better away from Brouwer. The most shocking difference is Matt Stajan, though. In the 159 min. they played together, that duo controlled only 38% of the shot attempts. In Stajan’s other 610 min. of 5on5 ice time last season, he would control an even 50%. That’s a jump of 12%.
If they play together this season, and that trend continues, there is a real chance Bennett crashes and burns. The weight of carrying a player like Brouwer is something a player in their 3rd year just can’t deal with. In order for Bennett to find succes, the Flames need to find him a real linemate to play with. Versteeg is one, and he’s a damn good player.
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If the Flames can’t find a suitable RW to play on that line, Bennett’s develop really will be a cause for concern.