It was a given that Sam Bennett’s playoff performance — one that resulted in him earning the Conn Smythe Trophy as the playoff MVP for the Florida Panthers — was going to get him a huge contract this offseason as he was set to be eligible for unrestricted free agency. It was just a question of which team was going to be the one to give it to him. As it turns out, it was the Panthers. They did not even let Bennett get to the open market by re-signing him to an eight-year contract on Friday evening that will pay him $8 million per season, according to Tim Reynolds of the Associated Press. It certainly has some risks for the Panthers. The Panthers originally acquired Bennett at the 2020-21 NHL trade deadline, and it has been a seismic move for both him and the team. Bennett saw his career take off while getting the opportunity to play for a better team than he had around him in Calgary, while he also gave the Panthers the type of relentless, physical forward that has defined their team over the past four yearRead More
Stanley Cup playoffs MVP re-signs with Panthers on risky contract
