For the past three seasons in a row, the Flames have debuted star rookie after star rookie. First, it was Sean Monahan posting a then-exciting 34 points in 75 games as the rebuild officially got underway. Then, it was Johnny Gaudreau doing Johnny Gaudreau things, including scoring 64 points through 80 games.
Sam Bennett's following season may have seemed like something of a letdown in comparison. The Flames were ramping up, but it was going to be difficult for anybody else to match Gaudreau's level, let alone exceed it. In Bennett started, with 36 points in 77 games: roughly on Monahan's level.