Video: Panthers' Sam Bennett confirms he's re-signing in Florida

Friday, June 20, 2025

Sam Bennett's agent may have had a small heart attack last night, as the Conn Smythe winner may have used some liquid courage to completely diminish any leverage in contract extension talks. Bennett and his Stanley Cup champion teammates were out celebrating last night, and Bennett made it very clear to everyone in attendance - he's not f---ing leaving Florida.

Bennett may have been able to fetch upwards of $10 million AAV on the open market, after one of the best playoff runs in league history. The two-way pesky forward was a beast in every series, with his two-way game, scoring touch, and ability to get opposing teams off their game with some of his antics.

Bennett recorded 15 goals and 22 points in 23 playoff games, after a regular season where he scored 25 goals and 51 points in 76 games. Along with Bennett, Panthers' GM Bill Zito has Brad Marchand and Aaron Ekblad to worry about when it comes to contract extensions before July 1, and Zito remains very confident he can get a deal done with all three. 

The Panthers have $19 million in cap space to work with this summer, so there's no doubt all three players will have to leave a little bit of money on the table to be able to stick around as teammates. The Panthers also need to figure out who their backup goaltender will be next season, but for now, all the attention, and rightfully so, is on keeping Bennett, Marchand and Ekblad in Sunrise.

Photo credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

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