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1) If Johnny Gaudreau needed a new deal this summer rather than last, I can't help but think an extension would be a lot more costly for the Calgary Flames.
Evgeny Kuznetsov was given $7.8 million per and max term. Ryan Johansen was given $8 million per and max term. Leon Draisaitl will almost certainly get $8 million per, or more, and max term.
Those three are natural centers, which inflates the prices a bit, but Gaudreau most definitely belongs in that group.
Take a look at how their numbers compare over the last two seasons.
Note: Green reflects best of the group, yellow the middle tier, and red the lowest of the four.
Gaudreau led the way in points per game, Corsi For% relative to the team, Goals For% relative to the team, and was 2nd to Kuznetsov in 5v5 points per 60.
Again, centers are generally more costly but I'm comfortable saying Gaudreau would be able to get more than the $6.75M he signed for.
2) It's interesting how many people soured on Sam Bennett over the last year. His season, especially in terms of counting totals, was disappointing given expectations but his 5v5 numbers were almost identical to the previous year when everyone suggested the sky was the limit.
In 2015-16, Bennett recorded 13 assists (.80 per 60) and 106 shots (6.56 per 60). In 2016-17, Bennett recorded 12 assists (.73 per 60) and 106 shots (6.48 per 60).
The big dip was in goals. Despite identical shot totals, he scored six fewer goals at 5v5 as a result of his shooting percentage crashing down from 13.2% to 7.55%.
It's probably unrealistic to expect him to be a 13% shooter but I don't think goaltenders will post a .925SV% on Bennett's shots moving forward, either.
Bennett may not turn into the star you hope to get when you're picking 4th overall but I still think he's going to be a really good player and is a lot better than he showed last season.
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