Bennett All But Confirmed To Have Deal Done With Panthers

The Florida Panthers just continue to be able to keep the majority of their team intact and their core thriving as David Pagnotta, on NHL Network, reported that Sam Bennett is pretty much locked in to stay in Florida with a deal around eight years at $8 million AAV being discussed.

This possible deal sees a lower AAV than what Bennett is expected to get offered by multiple other teams if he makes it to free agency. Players seem to like playing in Florida and the no state tax definitely helps the team keep the AAVs lower than other teams.

Bennett has arguably been the Panthers' MVP of the playoffs, leading everyone in goals with 14 and tied in fifth with 21 points. He has been in the mix in every game. With Anton Lundell being paid $5 million AAV, it seemed inevitable that Bennett was going to be headed to free agency due to the money concerns. Lundell has proven that he will be a top-6 player in the league, so I believe that in the near future we will see one of Lundell or Bennett shift over to the wing. For now, the depth down the middle should remain elite.

If Bennett does get $8 million AAV from the Panthers, that means the team has $11 million to work with. Players like Aaron Ekblad, Brad Marchand, Nat Schmidt, Thomas Nosek, Nico Sturm, and Vitek Vanecek are all UFAs still while Mackie Samoskevich is a RFA. With Ekblad and Marchand expected to get big paydays, it is highly unlikely that the Panthers can swing new contracts for even one of them, never mind both.

The Panthers have a strong enough core group of players all locked in that they will be fine. The team will look a little different, but Florida will have to continue to delve into bringing in castaways and hope they bounce back in a big way and contribute. Keeping Bennett is a great choice, even if it means cutting ties elsewhere. He is a playoff performer and that's where the Panthers have excelled.