The Florida Panthers have won back-to-back Stanley Cups and re-signed all their impact players this offseason.
Sam Bennett won the Conn Smythe as the playoff MVP and was set to be a pending free agent, and would have been highly sought after. However, Bennett signed an eight-year, $64 million deal that pays him $8 million per season.
Although many expected Bennett to get $9 million a year, he took less to remain in Florida. However, NHL analyst Joe Yerdon of Bleacher Report named Bennett one of the worst contracts signed this summer.
“We can throw the regular season stats at this one all we want to and say, “This is a terrible contract,” but then you think back on how he performed in the Stanley Cup Playoffs the past two seasons and it makes it a bit easier to justify the cost in your mind,” Yerdon wrote.
“On paper, however, it’s a bit more difficult. But the now isn’t what you worry about with a contract like this. It’s the later, and with the way Bennett plays, the chances of this contract aging well don’t seem great. Then again, if the Panthers keep lifting the Cup in June and Bennett helps them do it by being a menace everywhere on the ice, who cares, right? Banners fly forever,” Yerdon added.
Bennett is coming off a career year as he recorded 25 goals and 26 assists for 51 points in 76 games. Only 51 points isn’t worth $8 million, but he plays with a physical edge and rises up to the occasion, which is why he got the deal.
But Yerdon does worry about the final couple of years of Bennett’s contract with the Panthers.
Panthers’ Bennett Could’ve Got More in Free Agency
Although Yerdon named Bennett one of the worst contracts signed, he thought the star forward could have gotten more money.
Yerdon believes a team like the Toronto Maple Leafs could have given Bennett more than the $8 million per year he got from the Panthers.
“Listen, we all knew Sam Bennett was going to sign a massive new contract when the Florida Panthers’ playoff run was over,” Yerdon wrote. “We also knew it would be a lot more costly if the Panthers won the Stanley Cup and when he won the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoffs MVP, yeah, that’s even more money.
“We can throw the regular season stats at this one all we want to and say, “This is a terrible contract,” but then you think back on how he performed in the Stanley Cup Playoffs the past two seasons and it makes it a bit easier to justify the cost in your mind. On paper, however, it’s a bit more difficult,” Yerdon added.
Bennett has spent the last five years with the Panthers.
Bennett Wanted to Remain With The Panthers
After the Panthers won the Stanley Cup, the biggest question was whether or not Bennett would be back.
Bennett would have been one of the top free agents available. But, he says, he couldn’t pass up the chance to remain in Florida.
“I obviously couldn’t be happier,” he said. “Being in South Florida has just completely changed my life. And I love playing hockey here, I love living here. I love the team, the staff, the owners, just everything about it is really a dream situation. So, I couldn’t pass up the chance to be back here for another eight years.”
Bennett was traded to the Panthers from the Calgary Flames in 2021.
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