Our newest weekly feature returns for its second thrilling installment: Slack Sundays! Please join us for a rousing discussion that includes the two newest members of the FlamesNation family: Bill Tran and Karim Kurji of The Win Column fame.

This week’s discussion includes Sam Bennett’s new deal, the Penticton tournament and, of course, Jaromir Jagr (because we just can’t help but fan the flames). Join us and have your say in the comments. As usual, the chat has been edited for formatting and clarity.

ryanpike (Ryan Pike): Despite some fears that the negotiations may’ve gone longer, Sam Bennett signed! What does everyone think of his new deal?

taylormckee (Taylor McKee): I think it’s quite clearly a win for Flames management. Getting cost certainty for two seasons at that number is awesome. I kinda feel like Bennett’s side blinked first. Maybe Bobby Mac’s Janko tweet spooked him.

billtran (Bill Tran): The value that can be added to Bennett’s development/season provided a strong training camp would probably reap more long term Bennettfits. [editor’s note: boo to that pun!] As for management, if Bennett missed training camp the season after the Gaudreau contract fiasco, it’s a deterrent for future players and it definitely serves them well to have this contract in place.

ctibs (Christian Tiberi): It’s a pretty good deal for two years. If he explodes, they’ll have plenty of room to load up for a deep run next season. It’s going to be a pain when Bennett is arb eligible, but that’s the price you pay with bridge deals.

karimkurji (Karim Kurji): The deal is very cap friendly at only $1.95M AAV. Definitely agree that him being present for training camp is a huge win and should help him start out on the right foot. These next two years will be huge for him though, it’s generally not good if you don’t prove yourself over the course of a “prove it” contract. I’m not sold on him yet, I really hope he does break out this year

ryanpike: I was a bit surprised that he signed for two, but I think Christian hit the nail on the head regarding arbitration. When his deal is done, there are four years to look at and it makes it easier to figure out what he “is.”

ctibs: If he gets a useful winger, he’ll no doubt break out.

taylormckee: Like, an aged scorer with a famed hockey derriere?

ryanpike: I think the preferred hockey term is “big ass.”

karimkurji: Self stated by the man himself. As much as I want to see Bennett break out centering his own line, I still think 13-23-93 would be unreal.

billtran: Quickly back to Bennett, GMBT gets a good chance of redemption after messing up his last “prove it” contract.

ryanpike: I think that’s a good transition to another topic I wanted to look at; do the Flames need anything else right now?

ctibs: Jagr.

billtran: jagr. Definitely Jagr.

ctibs: Chiasson’s in Washington now, and that’s pretty much the only other acceptable RW solution left.

taylormckee: I kinda talked about this last week. I really, really think an upgrade at forward is needed. If it’s Jagr, awesome. If it’s a trade, great. But I think they need substantive help up front, the kind you won’t find via PTO.

ryanpike: Honestly, I think they hold onto the cap space and see what’s available mid-season as an upgrade.

ctibs: Agree with that Ryan.

karimkurji: I don’t want them to blow the budget on depth wingers though. I think keeping the cap space for down the road and into the trade deadline will let BT evaluate the team and address its needs properly.

ctibs: I feel they’re going to give the kids a shot at least for the first half of the season and then maybe add a piece at deadline.

ryanpike: I think that’s a good message to send to the kids, Christian. Give ’em a shot, but know you can go out and grab something mid-season.

billtran: It’s a non-zero chance that Chiasson pulls a Versteeg

ryanpike I LOVE Jagr, but he makes me nervous for the same reasons Iginla or Doan would.

taylormckee: I mean, keeping the cap space is great, but BT hasn’t always been sharp with adding money to the forward group. If the goal this year isn’t just to compete, it’s to contend, then yeah I would try and really make a move.

ctibs: His last trade deadline was not great so maybe that’s not a thing to bank on.

karimkurji: Not sure how true this is, but I heard (on the radio I think) that GG isn’t a big Jagr fan.

taylormckee: Do you guys think that Jagr, who rules and is great, really tips the scales into contending though?

ctibs: He’s an insurance piece. he’s put up 40-50 points with good underlyings in a third line role for the past whatever seasons, and can slide up to the first line if necessary. But I don’t think that the 3RW spot is going to be the thing that holds the team back.

karimkurji: I think a lot of this year’s success is riding on Ferland to be amazing on the top line, Tkachuk to continue to improve, Brouwer to suck a little bit less, Smith to be a rock, and Hamonic to anchor the second pairing.

ryanpike: Can Jagr play goal?

ctibs: So jagr is going to be a nice addition but if the goaltending craps out, he can’t help you. So what Ryan said.

taylormckee: My darkest fear emerges.

karimkurji: Any of those things not working out opens a big hole.

billtran: We’ll have to wait and see how well our new goalies mesh in the team. That’s 2 straight years with brand new goalies.

ctibs: Speaking of goalies and the future what did everyone think about Friday’s Penticton game?

ryanpike: It was a game.

ctibs: I agree ryan.

taylormckee: As I was saying last week: I hate Penticton.

ryanpike: I was impressed with Glenn Gawdin, and the starting six.

taylormckee: Gawdin seems like a guy who could definitely land a job in Stockton given how lean they are at C.

ctibs: From the highlights, valimaki looked pretty good.

taylormckee: I have a lingering suspicion he gets an NHL audition, am I crazy?

ryanpike: I think he’s one of the last cuts

karimkurji: I wanted to see Parsons look like Carey Price playing a midget team, but now that I think about it maybe those expectations were a bit high.

ryanpike: Parsons looked a bit rusty. Which was to be expected.

billtran: I think it makes sense to keep Valimaki around as long as possible.

ctibs: Sucks that the AHL is logjammed right now. He could feasibly be top four there this season.

karimkurji: They HAVE to start him in the AHL don’t they??

ryanpike: If he was allowed to play

ctibs: I thought we went through this a million times. Technically a European player on loan to Tri City?

ryanpike: Nope. Signed directly to Tri-City.

taylormckee: So NHL or CHL?

ryanpike: Until next season, where he can go anywhere.

taylormckee: Well, the way that Flames brass keeps talking about him to the media seems to suggest he might get a look at that 3rd pairing LD spot in the NHL or am I reading too far into things? At least for an audition.

ryanpike: I think it’s Kulak’s spot, but they don’t want to just hand it to him. And Valimaki’s looked good

ctibs: I am cheering for the flames drafting a better Finnish defencemen in the first round of a later draft with a worse pick than the Canucks. So valimaki can have his nine games.

karimkurji: Andersson looked decent last night too.

ctibs: There was some hype for Healey, who i definitely saw play Friday. What did you guys think?

ryanpike: He seemed like another Kenney Morrison but with more big hits.

taylormckee: Penticton is super hard to evaluate defenders IMO. (Well, it’s hard to evaluate anyone but especially defenders.)

billtran: For those who did watch the game, based on Bobby Margarita’s tweet prior to Bennett signing, would giving Janko a serious look been a viable option? Sample size alert tho.

ryanpike: It still might be.

ctibs: They probably want to give him a run out.

taylormckee: Look, if Janko can hack it, that would be great. Lotta FN comments seem to suggest we all just hate him, but, like, I am consistently surprised by him. Bennett – Janko -Versteeg would be an intriguing option.

ryanpike: Given Stajan’s age, I could see them starting Jankowski out as a fourth line center and going from there.

billtran: Sheltering him a bit certainly wouldn’t hurt.

taylormckee: And I just don’t know if sentencing him to Brouwer duty is going to tell us if he can hang or not. Leave that to Lazar.

karimkurji: He was 15th in AHL scoring and was a rookie last year. He’s bigger and stronger this year and seems up for the challenge. What if he plays with Bennett and Versteeg? Or with Backs/Frolik?

ctibs: He’s not much of a winger.

billtran: I’m of the opinion that you don’t break up 3M to start the season.

ryanpike: I think they keep the top six together and then tinker to see what they can get out of the rest of the line-up. Jankowski could help with that.

billtran: It would be a good time to rotate players in our bottom 6. The more rotations you have the more often you can scratch Brouwer

karimkurji: Brouwer should get a 9 game trial.

ryanpike: Before we close it out for this week, is there anything you hope to see from the remaining Penticton games?

ctibs: D’artagnan Joly. Joly-Dube-Phillips sounds like a fun line. Pollock was apparently not very good.

taylormckee: No one getting friggen hurt in a meaningless tournament please.

billtran: If phillips doesn’t get a highlight reel goal, I’d be disappointed.

karimkurji: Parsons to get a shutout.

taylormckee: I would like to see one of the centre tryouts shine enough to warrant a longer look and then a contract in Stockton.

billtran: Honestly, the team not collectively crumbling would be good too. Basically I think we all want to see everyone play good hockey. And we know some of those guys are definitely capable of such.

karimkurji: Actually, if he plays, I’d like to see Mason McDonald get totally lit up so he doesn’t get any Stockton time next year.

ryanpike: He won’t get much Kansas City time this year, so i think your wishes will come true.