The Florida Panthers are the reigning Stanley Cup champions, and a key member of their roster is Sam Bennett.
Florida is in the second round of the playoffs and is playing the Toronto Maple Leafs. In Game 1, Bennett hit goaltender Anthony Stolarz in the head. The hit knocked him out of the game as he had to leave on a stretcher.
After the game, NHL insider Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet revealed on his 32 Thoughts: The Podcast that he was surprised Bennett hadn’t re-signed yet.
“I got a call on Tuesday (May 6) afternoon from someone in the league,” Friedman said on his podcast on May 7. “He said he was surprised that after everything that happened Monday night and the aftermath, that Sam Bennett hadn’t signed a contract extension with the Panthers by Tuesday afternoon. He said that all of this noise is the best advertising for Sam Bennett to stay in Florida than anything else that could have happened. I’ve always believed most likely he stays.
“But, this guy works for another team, he guaranteed Bill Zito and Paul Maurice said ‘Really you want to leave where we are to play somewhere like this where all this noise is going to come every time you do something,” Friedman added. “You don’t want to leave Florida.’ He said this was the best thing that could have happened for the Panthers wanting to keep Bennett.”
As Friedman notes, he and someone who works with a team both expect Bennett to re-sign with the Panthers. He’s in the final year of his four-year, $17.7 million deal and will be in line for a raise.
Bennett recorded 25 goals and 26 assists for 51 points in 76 games.
Panthers’ Bennett Opens up on Controversial Hit
Bennett hit Stolarz to the back of the head with an elbow, which knocked the goalie out of the game. Stolarz also won’t be available in Game 2.
After the game, Bennett didn’t speak to the media. But, on May 6, after practice, he broke his silence on the hit.
“I heard that he went to the hospital last night, and he’s a good friend of mine. I reached out to him. He responded,” Bennett said on May 6. “Never want to see an injury like that. From my point of view, I’m just taking the puck the net. I didn’t even know that we made contact until after.”
There was no penalty on the play, and no suspension was handed down.
Panthers Coach Saw No Issue With Bennett’s Hit
After Game 1 and the controversial hit happened, Panthers head coach Paul Maurice had no issue with it.
Maurice felt like Bennett didn’t do anything wrong or meant to hit Stolarz. Instead, he was just trying to get to the front of the net.
“Most of this for me is tempered by the fact that Stolie is one of our guys,” Maurice said on May 6. “We love that guy. If I had thought that Sam had crossed the line or an edge, I’d probably be more careful with my words. I just didn’t think it happened.”
Florida will play the Maple Leafs in Game 2 on May 7 at 7 p.m. ET.
Insider: ‘Surprised’ Panthers Haven’t Re-Signed Sam Bennett After Controversial Hit