Panthers Begin Extension Talks With Sam Bennett

Earlier this month, the Panthers got a deal done with one of their prominent pending unrestricted free agents when they signed winger Carter Verhaeghe to an eight-year, $56MM extension.  Now, it appears they’ve turned their focus to another key forward as Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports (video link) that the team has started extension discussions with center Sam Bennett.  He also noted that this is just the start of talks and that no new deal is necessarily imminent.

The 28-year-old was the fourth overall pick by Calgary back in 2014 but never really seemed to live up to those high expectations.  Over his five full seasons with them, he only reached the 30-point mark once.  Eventually, that led to them flipping Bennett to Florida for a second-round pick and prospect Emil Heineman (who was later dealt to Montreal).

With the Panthers, Bennett’s fortunes have changed substantially.  Offensively, he has been more impactful, collecting at least 40 points in each of his first three seasons with the team while adding a 28-goal effort in 2021-22.  He’s off to a solid start on that front this year as well with seven points in as many outings.  Bennett also has gone back to being a full-time center after primarily playing on the wing with the Flames and from a value standpoint, middlemen are worth more than a winger.

Of course, Bennett’s contributions aren’t just on the offensive side of things as he is also a prominent power forward.  Those players tend to get a premium on their contracts, especially in UFA-eligible seasons.  Bennett also played a prominent role in Florida’s last two playoff runs, including their 2024 Stanley Cup title so he also has that on his side in discussions.

Accordingly, all signs point to Bennett landing a considerable raise on his current $4.425MM AAV.  But how much of one can Florida realistically afford?  That’s where things could get a bit more interesting.

The Panthers have Aleksander Barkov signed through 2029-30 at $10MM per season.  It’s safe to say he’s not going anywhere.  They also committed $5MM per year to Anton Lundell through 2029-30.  Lundell as their third center is a nice luxury to have while they can afford it but Bennett’s contract is likely to push past the $6MM mark on a long-term pact.  Barring a position change for one of Bennett or Lundell, that would be a lot to commit long-term to a third-line player.

As things stand, Florida has a little over $73MM committed to 16 players for next season, per PuckPedia.  With the expectation of another few million being added to the current $88MM Upper Limit, there’s definitely room for them to afford that type of contract.  But it should be noted that Aaron Ekblad’s deal is also expiring so they will need to re-sign or replace him.  While there’s room for one more pricey contract on their books, fitting two in – Bennett plus an Ekblad re-signing or a newcomer to take his place – would be a lot trickier.

But even with that in mind, parting with an impactful center would be hard to do and it’s fair to say that Bennett would have a very strong market next summer if he were to reach free agency in July.  We’ll see in the coming weeks if the two sides can work something out.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.