Cowan: Careers of Canadiens' Emil Heineman, Panthers' Sam Bennett intertwined

Montreal Gazette

2 days ago

Montreal Canadiens
By
There will always be a link between the Florida Panthers' Sam Bennett and the Canadiens' Emil Heineman.
When the Flames decided to trade Bennett to Florida at the 2021 NHL trade deadline — after selecting him with the fourth overall pick at the 2014 NHL Entry Draft — the player they wanted in return was Heineman, who had been selected 43rd overall by the Panthers at the 2020 draft.
Brad Treliving — general manager of the Toronto Maple Leafs — was the Flames' GM at the time and he dealt Bennett to the Panthers, along with a sixth-round pick in the 2022 draft, in exchange for Heineman and a second-round pick in 2022.
Flames scout Bobbie Hagelin was really high on Heineman.
'Going into the draft last year (2020) I remember Bobbie saying: 'You want this guy to put a Calgary Flames jersey on,' ' Craig Conroy — who was the Flames' assistant general manager at the time and is now GM — told reporters in Calgary after acquiring Heineman on April 12, 2021. 'But when we got to our pick (in the second round), he was obviously gone.
'As far as work ethic and compete (level) Zach Hyman would be a comparable,' Conroy added about Heineman. 'That's the type of compete he has. When you watch Emil, that's what he looks like to me on the video and a lot of the highlights. He has good hands, too. He protects the puck. He finishes checks. He's a dog on the bone on the backcheck. That's what we really like about him. And when you talk to Bobbie and Hakan (Loob) and any of our European scouts about him, everyone is the same — they felt like this would be a huge asset to get into the organization and someone to grow with.'
Heineman never played a game for the Flames. Treliving traded him to the Canadiens (along with a first-round draft pick in 2022 that was used to select Filip Mesar) on Feb. 14, 2022, in exchange for Tyler Toffoli, who is now with the San Jose Sharks.
Heineman got off to a strong start as a rookie with the Canadiens this season, scoring 10 goals in his first 41 games before being struck by a car in Utah on Jan. 13 and suffering a wrist injury that sidelined him for more than a month. The 23-year-old winger didn't score a goal in his last 21 games with the Canadiens before helping Sweden win a bronze medal at the IIHF World Hockey Championship, scoring a goal and adding two assists in 10 games.
Bennett was looking for a fresh start when the Flames traded him to the Panthers and the 28-year-old centre has flourished in the Florida sunshine. After scoring only 67 goals in 402 regular-season games with the Flames and becoming a fourth-liner, Bennett has 95 goals in 289 regular-season games with the Panthers, including 25 this season, along with 90 penalty minutes. He has been even better in the playoffs with 24 goals in 71 games for the Panthers, including 10 in 17 games this season as Florida advanced to the Stanley Cup final for the third straight season. The Panthers will be looking to win the Cup for the second straight year when they take on the Oilers in the final, with Game 1 slated for Wednesday in Edmonton.
Bennett earned US$4.425 million this season in the final year of a four-year contract and might be able to double that amount as an unrestricted free agent on July 1. He would be a great fit with the Canadiens — bringing his mix of skill and grit — but longtime hockey insider John Shannon said this week on the S&P Podcast with Matthew Sekeres and Blake Price that Bennett will only be looking to sign with the Panthers or Maple Leafs.
Bennett, who is from Holland Landing, Ont., would also be a great fit with the Leafs. They can definitely use his grit and compete level — especially in the playoffs. Bennett was ranked No. 2 in the TSN Free Agent Rankings this week, behind Leafs winger Mitch Marner.
It's interesting to look back at what Treliving said after trading Bennett for Heineman when he was GM of the Flames.
'We came here at the same time — I was hired (as GM) and the draft was a month later, and Sam was our first pick, so we go back,' said Treliving, who became GM of the Leafs two years ago after nine years with the Flames. 'There have been lots of ups and lots of downs. It hasn't gone perfect, but ... I try to separate that. He's a good kid. He is a really good kid, but you also have to make business decisions. We made one here.
'We had a good chat and I always told him if there is anything I can ever do for him moving forward. ...'