Panthers sign Sam Bennett to sizeable multi-year extension
Per Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman, the Florida Panthers have re-signed pending RFA forward Sam Bennett to a multi-year contract extension.
Bennett, who was acquired by the Panthers from the Calgary Flames before the NHL's trade deadline last season, will earn $4.4M per season over the next 4 seasons.
Bennett, 25, managed just 12 points in 38 games in a depth role with the Flames prior to the trade. Once Bennett arrived in Florida, however, he absolutely exploded offensively, amassing 15 points in just 10 games for the Panthers to close out the regular season. He added 5 points in 5 playoff games as well.
The Holland Landing, ON native should be an impact player for the Panthers again this season, with the ability to play both wing and center.
Bennett did well in this deal, after earning just $2.55M in each of his last two seasons. If he can continue to produce at a high level for the Panthers, his $4.4M salary could end up being a steal for GM Bill Zito and company.
The obvious concern here, however, is that Bennett's career high is 36 points, back in his rookie season in 2015-16. The Panthers appear to be gambling a bit here..
| G | A | PTS | ||
| Dylan Larkin | 2 | 1 | 3 | |
| William Nylander | 2 | 1 | 3 | |
| Alex Turcotte | 2 | 1 | 3 | |
| Jack Hughes | 1 | 2 | 3 | |
| Travis Konecny | - | 3 | 3 | |
| Nico Hischier | 2 | - | 2 | |
| Matias Maccelli | 2 | - | 2 | |
| Nathan MacKinnon | 2 | - | 2 | |
| Auston Matthews | 2 | - | 2 | |
| Artemi Panarin | 2 | - | 2 | |
| Brayden Schenn | 2 | - | 2 | |
| James Van Riemsdyk | 2 | - | 2 | |
| Evan Bouchard | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Sean Couturier | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Kevin Fiala | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Bo Horvat | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Kent Johnson | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Patrick Kane | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Marco Kasper | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Adrian Kempe | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Complete stats | ||||
| STANDINGS 2024-2025 | ||||||
TOP 10 | GP | W | L | OL | PTS | |
Capitals | 45 | 30 | 10 | 5 | 65 | |
Jets | 46 | 31 | 12 | 3 | 65 | |
Golden Knights | 44 | 29 | 12 | 3 | 61 | |
Oilers | 45 | 29 | 13 | 3 | 61 | |
Wild | 45 | 27 | 14 | 4 | 58 | |
Maple Leafs | 46 | 28 | 16 | 2 | 58 | |
Devils | 47 | 26 | 15 | 6 | 58 | |
Stars | 44 | 28 | 15 | 1 | 57 | |
Kings | 42 | 25 | 12 | 5 | 55 | |
Hurricanes | 45 | 26 | 16 | 3 | 55 | |
| Conference | Cumulative | ||||||