Sam Bennett insisted he’s enjoyed watching the Calgary Flames turn their fortunes around of late.
Now he’s pumped to be able to partake.
Bennett will draw into the lineup Tuesday for the first time in a month, confident his upper body ailment has healed.
“I feel great – excited to get back in,” said Bennett, who was injured Nov. 16 against Arizona.
“It’s felt like a long time. I’ve been chomping at the bit. It’s been a lot of fun to watch over that stretch. Our whole team is playing well. We’ve got a really deep team and it’s starting to show.”
So much so that another player ready to return from injury, Austin Czarnik, may not crack the roster anytime soon.
“When I talked to him today, he knows exactly where he sits,” said interim coach Geoff Ward, who recently got Czarnik back in Calgary after a conditioning stint in Stockton.
“He’s healthy now. He’s available for selection. He’s just got to be better than one of the 12 that is in. That process is going to take a little bit of time. I’m not saying he’s not (ready) right now, but we’re going to let that play itself out through practices and make decisions on a daily basis from here.”
Bennett will play on the fourth unit with Tobias Rieder and Michael Frolik, bumping Mark Jankowski from the lineup.
“We tell all our guys when they come back in, ‘just be yourself,’” said Ward, whose club will soon have to start making tougher decisions on who is getting sent back to Stockton.
“I think simple is better right now. Play hard and be physical and chip in offensively when you can and be responsible away from the puck. Internal competition is good. It’s a motivator for sure.”
Cam Talbot will start Tuesday against the Penguins, giving him his third start in six games.
NEW KID IN HALL
Ward was an assistant coach in New Jersey while Taylor Hall was there, making the Flames coach an interested observer in the trade sweepstakes that landed the former Hart Trophy winner in Arizona Monday.
“He’s a real good player – I give him and John Hynes and the coaches and players there an awful lot of credit,” said Ward.
“After Taylor’s first year with us in Jersey I know John and him had some meetings in the summer and came to some agreement. I know he came back that year and won the MVP. I think he really made a big transition as a player.
“They’re getting what you would fully expect for a player of that stature coming into your room. He’s a team player. He’s a guy who can play at both ends of the ice and a guy who can make players around him better. He will do that in Arizona for sure.”
Ward chuckled when asked if he is happy Hall landed in the Pacific Division?
“I’m happy for him,” said Ward.
“The one thing is he’s always wanted to play playoff hockey – he hasn’t had much of an opportunity in his career so far to do that. I think he’s going to fit in really well there.”
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