Eliminate 7 Teams From Sam Bennett Sweepstakes: Report

Sam Bennett is going to be a hot commodity in free agency if he makes it there as centers are in demand every offseason. He is a unique type of player that there aren't very many of and it works very well in the playoffs.

According to Andy Strickland, Bennett won't sign with a Canadian team. As you may know, he was a fourth overall pick to the Calgary Flames before being traded to the Florida Panthers. He only reached his potential in Florida and the Canadian born forward has already experienced a Canadian market, which is probably why he doesn't want to go back given the choice.

Bennett has also experienced winning in Florida as well and a Canadian team hasn't won the Stanley Cup in over 30 years despite how many players on those Cup winning teams each year are Canadian.

That means that Canadian based teams who could use a second line center like Bennett from free agency such as the Vancouver Canucks, Flames, Winnipeg Jets, and Montreal Canadiens will likely have to look elsewhere. The Edmonton Oilers, Ottawa Senators, and Toronto Maple Leafs don't need to fill that hole and probably aren't too broken up about the news if it is true.

The Canadian markets don't have it the easiest with convincing free agents to sign there, and that's why drafting and developing is so important. A team like Calgary can't let a player like Bennett go because it has come back to bite them for sure.