Nobody wants Gio because he has a big contract and is still under contract next year. He’s 37 and has been declining the past 2 years by a lot.

FLA hangs up. A 1st? Seriously?

Pittsburgh accepts

Not for a 2nd round pick. He's a glorified bottom 6 forward. That's way too much.

They retained salary and Bennett is RFA so not a rental I think a second is dair

But he isn't good, that's the point. A 2nd round pick for a guy who produces at the same rate over the last two years as Evan Rodrigues isn't great value.

I think he’s better than what he’s done in Calgary. I think he fits a Mike Sullivan system really well.
He’s also much younger than Evan Rodriguez and I trust Pittsburgh to develop and deploy him better than Calgary has.
Sometimes players have more value to a different team and a different role. Extreme Example to drive it home: Cody Ceci. Watch Bennett play and then watch the way sully uses his bottom six.

He's only 3 years younger. With the exception of last season Bennett has been given a majority of zone starts in the offensive zone. It hasn't resulted in great production. So he has been sheltered and still found average success. If you were to force him into a defensive role in Pittsburgh like we use ZAR Teddy and Tanev, his offense would completely disappear.
Ceci on the other hand was forced into a top pairing role. He went from playing 18-19 minutes a night at 5v5 to just over 15 minutes with us. His role here became more sheltered which allowed him to succeed.

Obviously Ceci and Bennett are different lol that’s why I said it’s an extreme example.

Bennett is a legit NHL played man and I like what he provides. I think he’s already looking much better under Sutter.

I wouldn’t ask him to play the role of ZAR-Teddy-Tanev... that’s a job for ZAR, Teddy and Tanev.

I want Bennett because he’s versatile. Can play anywhere in your lineup. All three positions all 4 lines he can help. Like a better Erod who can also take draws. And has a big frame that he actually uses.

We don’t have to agree on this man we can move on now

The thing is, he's an RFA in an expansion year. Unless Pittsburgh protects him, he could very well just be a rental. I know that the Pens will lose a player regardless, but I think that this should be taken into consideration. I personally would not want to see him acquired for anything higher than a third and/or a non-roster player.

If we spend a second on Bennett and lose him instead of say, Brandon Tanev, for example, than it was more than worth it.

I don’t think Bennett is the one I’m worried about I’m if looking at the expansion. It’s the ZAR-Teddy-Tanev line that I’m worried about.

You’ve actually kind of given a best case scenario lol

Haha, I've just seen so many people want him and I'm trying to understand their logic behind it. Usually people just say he's a Burke guy, but you were actually giving examples. Thanks