No. 1: Sam Bennett, Calgary Flames
Bennett is having back-to-back brutal seasons and is continuing to underperform as the former fourth overall pick in the 2014 NHL Entry Draft.
Despite the lack of scoring, Bennett seems like a type of player that would benefit from a chance of scenery. Especially if that scenery meant playing less than an hour from where he grew up.
The Holland Landing, ON native played his entire junior hockey career in Toronto, before getting drafted to the Kingston Frontenacs. During his stint in the OHL, Bennett’s draft stock rose substantially because he played with an edge, but also had a scoring touch, finishing with 36 goals and 91 points in his draft year.
Bennett has always been compared to former Leafs great Doug Gilmour, who actually coached Bennett in the OHL, and he wears the number 93 as a result.
It’s quite possible that the scoring drought continues if he got traded to Toronto, but you’d have to think that he’d be a new man with the Leafs. As a pending RFA, Bennett’s play is costing him money every time he steps on the ice, so playing on a new team could really help his wallet.
The left-winger could slide right onto a line with John Tavares and William Nylander and could be the missing piece to the Leafs top-six. With a $2.55M cap-hit, taking a swing on Bennett could be a smart idea for Toronto, as he’ll be incredibly inspired to help the Leafs win their first Stanley Cup since 1967.