From fourth pick to fourth line, Sam Bennett’s journey, since being drafted by the Calgary Flames four years ago, has been anything but smooth.



The latest pothole came in the home opener. That night, in a 7-4 victory over the Vancouver Canucks, Bennett logged only 7:01 in ice time. After just two shifts in the third period and with the game already decided, coach Bill Peters sent him over the boards for the final 36 seconds. In one stretch, he was nailed to the bench for over 14 minutes.



Coming in career game No. 243, he had set a new low. (Other than a game three years against Nashville, in which he left injured in the second period.) The previous low had been 8:47, which had been set three nights earlier in the season opener. Are you spotting a trend?



For the home opener his final stat line read: 0 goals, 0 assists, 0 shots and 1 hit in 14 shifts. Not usually the type of performance that earns you a promotion, but sometimes hockey is funny like...