Panthers Sign Mike Benning To Two-Way Contract
The Panthers have signed RFA defenseman Mike Benning, according to a team release. The deal is a two-way pact, although financial terms weren’t disclosed.
Benning remains in the Florida organization after spending his first two professional seasons with the AHL’s Charlotte Checkers while he played out his entry-level contract. While he missed nearly 20 games last season due to injury, he upped his offensive production to 23 assists and 32 points in 54 games after posting 26 points in 72 games in his rookie season for Charlotte. That wasn’t enough to get him an NHL call-up, though, and he became an RFA this summer without a top-level game to his name.
As a 10.2(c) player with fewer than three years of professional experience, Benning was ineligible to sign an offer sheet or to request an arbitration hearing upon receiving a qualifying offer in June. He was locked into a new deal with the Panthers as a result, one that presumably includes a raise over the $80K minors salary dictated by his ELC and maintains his waiver-exempt status for one more season.
A fourth-round pick by the Cats in 2020, Benning always faced an uphill battle for NHL minutes because of his 5’9″, 176-lb frame. Despite that, he was a dominant two-way threat in college at the University of Denver. His standout sophomore season in 2021-22 saw him record a 15-23–38 scoring line with a +32 rating in 41 appearances. Not only did he help the Pioneers to an NCAA championship, but he was also named the MVP of the national tournament. He recorded 34 points in 39 games the following season to be named the NCHC’s best offensive defenseman before turning pro with the Panthers in 2023.
Because of his underwhelming frame, he’ll need to become an undeniable offensive force at the minor-league level to sniff an NHL role. While he’s steadily improved since making his pro debut, that hasn’t quite happened yet. Today’s deal gives him another year of runway and ideally at least one call-up opportunity to prove he could at least be effective as a power-play specialist.
The Panthers have now filled 45 of their 50 contract slots for 2025-26. They have no other unsigned RFAs remaining, at least among players who haven’t already agreed to contracts overseas.
Michael Benning Signs With Florida Panthers
2:11 pm: CapFriendly clarifies that the contract does in fact begin this season, meaning Benning will burn the first year of his entry-level contract and become an RFA in 2025. The contract carries a cap hit of $916,700.
1:06 pm: Florida Panthers defense prospect Michael Benning has ended his college career at Denver University and signed his entry-level contract with the team, reports Florida Hockey Now’s George Richards.
Benning is locked into a three-year contract starting next season, according to the Panthers, meaning he won’t be able to play in this year’s playoffs. He’ll become a restricted free agent in 2026. The 21-year-old was named the most outstanding player of the 2022 NCAA Men’s Frozen Four, where Denver won the national championship.
Panthers general manager Bill Zito offered a statement on Benning’s signing:
Mike is a gifted two-way defenseman who has had an outstanding collegiate career. We are thrilled for him to take the next step in his career with the Panthers and look forward to his continued development within our organization.
A 2020 fourth-round pick, Benning has excelled during his sophomore and junior seasons at Denver, seeing a massive improvement in his play on both sides of the puck. His offensive acumen is the most tantalizing part of his game, though, a theme sure to fit in with Florida’s scoring-heavy system.
If there’s a knock to Benning’s game, it’s a question of how his smaller stature will transfer to the NHL, especially as a defenseman. He stands 5-foot-9 and may struggle with the strength of NHL opponents.