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Sam Bennett

Sam Bennett Re-Signs With Florida Panthers

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The Florida Panthers are busy completing their RFA work today. After signing two depth defensemen earlier, the team has now reached a much bigger deal with Sam Bennett. Bennett has signed a four-year contract with the Panthers that Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic reports will carry an average annual value of $4.4MM. Chris Johnston of Sportsnet provides the full breakdown:

  • 2021-22: $1.925MM + $1MM signing bonus
  • 2022-23: $3.425MM salary
  • 2023-24: $6.35MM salary
  • 2024-25: $5.0MM salary

Florida GM Bill Zito released a short statement:

Sam’s impact on our club this past season was seen immediately, injecting physicality, skill and energy into our lineup. We are thrilled to have him in our Panthers lineup and look forward to what he can bring to our offense in the upcoming 2021-22 season.

Bennett, 25, is probably the happiest man in the world looking back at his deadline trade to the Panthers. He has recorded just 12 points in 38 games for the Calgary Flames, spending considerable time on the fourth line. Upon arriving in Florida, he was immediately placed in the top-six, given 18 minutes a night and managed 15 points in his final ten games. That was followed by a point-per-game performance in the first round of the playoffs, where Bennett has always excelled.

It shouldn’t be expected that Bennett performs at the level he did in those ten games, scoring at a pace that he’s never come close to in the past, but he doesn’t have to reach quite that level to be a valuable contract for the Panthers. At $4.4MM, as long as he’s a reasonable second-line player that provides physicality and playoff performance, it will work out just fine. A four-year deal buys out three years of unrestricted free agency, but also provides Bennett with the kind of security that wouldn’t have necessarily been available on the open market. Florida figures to be a strong team for the duration of the deal, providing Bennett with plenty of opportunities to show off his offensive skills.

Of course, there is a salary cap, and the Panthers have a big name to sign over the next year. Aleksander Barkov’s deal will expire after the 2021-22 season, a player the team obviously can’t afford to lose. With Bennett now taking up a good chunk and newcomer Sam Reinhart also expected to sign a multi-year deal, the Panthers are betting they’ll still be able to fit everyone in down the road.

Sam Bennett Suspended One Game

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The Department of Player Safety has made a decision and Sam Bennett won’t be in game two. The Florida Panthers forward has been suspended one game for his hit on Tampa Bay Lightning forward Blake Coleman in last night’s game. As the accompanying video explains:

It is important to note that while Coleman does turn toward the boards to play the puck, this is not a case of a player turning immediately prior to contact that turns a legal hit to an illegal one. From the moment Bennett hits the faceoff dot, he sees nothing but Coleman’s numbers. With ample time to make a better decision, the onus is on Bennett to deliver this hit in a legal fashion, avoid it entirely or at the very least minimize its force. Instead, he drives directly through Coleman’s back with speed, driving him forcefully into the boards. 

Coleman did not suffer a serious injury on the play and Bennett has not been fined or suspended previously, which helped keep the punishment to just one game. Still, the Panthers will be without a player that is playing arguably the best hockey of his career right now. Bennett scored six goals and 15 points in ten regular season games after the trade to Florida at the deadline, and added two assists last night. Always known as a playoff performer, he will have to sit down and watch the team try to even the series tomorrow night.

Sam Bennett To Have Hearing With Department Of Player Safety

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The Florida Panthers blew a lead to go down 1-0 in their first-round playoff series and will now be without one of their deadline additions for at least game two. Sam Bennett will have a hearing with the Department of Player Safety today for the hit he delivered on Blake Coleman last night.

The incident occurred partway through the third period when the Panthers were up 4-3. Bennett came from across the defensive zone to deliver a check on Coleman in the corner and received a two-minute minor for charging on the play. He will now face a suspension, keeping him out for at least tomorrow’s rematch.

There appear to be no other hearings coming out of the game, including a hit delivered by Ryan McDonagh that sparked plenty of outrage from Panther fans.

Bennett, who has been outstanding since coming over from the Calgary Flames at the deadline, recorded two assists in nearly 21 minutes of ice time last night for Florida. A stat-filler, he had four penalty minutes, four shots on goal, three hits, two blocks, two takeaways and hit the ice on the powerplay and penalty kill. That performance will have to come from someone else in game two.

Central Notes: Jones, Brome, Panthers

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The 2019 offseason was a tough one for Columbus who saw several of their top veterans head elsewhere in Artemi Panarin, Matt Duchene, and Sergei Bobrovsky (among others as well).  Defenseman Seth Jones is a year away from being able to do the same but GM Jarmo Kekalainen told Brian Hedger of the Columbus Dispatch that they won’t be allowing Jones to walk away for nothing, citing that he doesn’t see the team being in the same situation next season as they were back in 2019 when they pushed their chips to the table and had a star player who many expected to go to New York as Panarin eventually did.  For now, the focus will remain on working on a long-term extension for the 26-year-old who averaged more than 25 minutes a game for the third straight season.

Elsewhere in the Central:

  • Earlier this month, Red Wings winger Mathias Brome told Svenskafans’ Andreas Lundskog that he was open to returning overseas but wasn’t going to limit himself to going back to his native Sweden. It appears he’s zeroing in on the Swiss NLA as Aftonbladet’s Tomas Ros and Hans Abrahamsson report that Brome is expected to join Davos.  It was a disappointing first season in North America for the 26-year-old who managed just a goal and an assist in 26 games with Detroit this season despite logging a respectable 13:39 per night.  Brome is set to become a restricted free agent this summer but as he’s a year away from UFA eligibility based on his age, there’s a good chance he’ll be non-tendered if a deal overseas is finalized.
  • Despite missing two of the last three games due to an upper-body injury, Florida center Sam Bennett is available for the series opener against Tampa Bay, notes Jameson Olive of the Panthers’ team site. The 24-year-old made an immediate impact after being acquired from Calgary at the trade deadline, picking up six goals and nine assists in just ten games, beating his output with the Flames despite playing in 28 games more with Calgary.  Meanwhile, Olive also relayed (Twitter link) that winger Patric Hornqvist is ready to return after missing the final seven games of the regular season with an upper-body injury of his own.

Trade Deadline Summary: North Division

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The NHL Trade Deadline has come and gone. A relatively slow day ended with a late burst, as many teams jumped into the mix at the last minute. How do you think your team did? Share your deadline grades in the comments for teams in the North Division.

Calgary Flames
Status: Neutral

In – F Emil Heineman, 2022 second-round pick (FLA), 2022 third-round pick (TOR)
Out – F Sam Bennett, G David Rittich, 2022 sixth-round pick

Edmonton Oilers
Status: Buyer

In – D Dmitry Kulikov
Out – conditional 2022 fourth-round pick

Montreal Canadiens
Status: Buyer

In – F Eric Staal, D Jon Merrill, D Erik Gustafsson
Out – F Hayden Verbeek, 2021 third-round pick, two 2021 fifth-round picks, 2022 seventh-round pick

Ottawa Senators
Status: Seller

In – F Ryan Dzingel, F Michael Amadio, D Brandon Fortunato, 2022 third-round pick (BOS), 2022 seventh-round pick (NYI), 2023 seventh-round pick (NSH)
Out – D Mike Reilly, D Erik Gudbranson, D Braydon Coburn, F Cedric Paquette, F Alex Galchenyuk, D Christian Wolanin, 

Toronto Maple Leafs
Status: Buyer

In – F Nick Foligno, G David Rittich, D Ben Hutton, F Alex Galchenyuk, F Riley Nash, F Stefan Noesen, F Antti Suomela, G Veini Vehvilainen
Out – F Alexander Barabanov, D Mikko Lehtonen, D David Warsofsky, F Yegor Korshkov, 2021 first-round pick, 2022 third-round pick, 2021 fourth-round pick, 2022 fourth-round pick, 2022 fifth-round pick, conditional 2022 seventh-round pick

Vancouver Canucks
Status: Neutral

In – F Matthew Highmore, D Madison Bowey, 2021 fifth-round pick (CHI), 2021 sixth-round pick (WPG)
Out – D Jordie Benn, F Adam Gaudette, 2021 fourth-round pick

Winnipeg Jets
Status: Buyer

In – D Jordie Benn
Out – 2021 sixth-round pick

Trade Deadline Summary: Central Division

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The NHL Trade Deadline has come and gone. A relatively slow day ended with a late burst, as many teams jumped into the mix at the last minute. How do you think your team did? Share your deadline grades in the comments for teams in the Central Division.

Carolina Hurricanes
Status: Buyer

In – F Cedric Paquette, D Jani Hakanpaa, D David Warsofsky, F Yegor Korshkov, 2022 sixth-round pick (ANA), 2022 seventh-round pick (CLB)
Out – F Ryan Dzingel, D Haydn Fleury, F Gregory Hofmann

Chicago Blackhawks
Status: Neutral

In – F Brett Connolly, F Vinnie Hinostroza, F Adam Gaudette, D Riley Stillman, F Henrik Borgstrom, F Josh Dickinson, F Ryder Rolston, 2021 second-round pick (VGK), 2022 third-round pick (VGK), 2021 fourth-round pick (MTL), 2021 seventh-round pick (FLA)
Out – F Mattias Janmark, F Carl Soderberg, F Matthew Highmore, F Lucas Wallmark, D Madison Bowey, D Lucas Carlsson, F Brad Morrison, 2021 fifth-round pick, 2022 fifth-round pick

Columbus Blue Jackets
Status: Seller

In – D Mikko Lehtonen, F Gregory Hofmann, 2021 first-round pick (TOR), 2021 first-round pick (TBL), 2022 third-round pick (TBL), 2022 fourth-round pick (TOR), conditional 2022 seventh-round pick (TOR)
Out – F Nick Foligno, D David Savard, F Riley Nash, G Veini Vehvilainen, 2022 seventh-round pick

Dallas Stars
Status: Neutral

In – None
Out – None

Detroit Red Wings
Status: Seller

In – F Jakub Vrana, F Richard Panik, F Hayden Verbeek, 2021 first-round pick (WAS), 2022 second-round pick (WAS), 2021 fourth-round pick (TBL), 2022 fourth-round pick (COL), 2021 fifth-round pick (OTT via MTL)
Out – F Anthony Mantha, D Patrik Nemeth, D Jon Merrill, D Brian Lashoff

Florida Panthers
Status: Buyer

In – F Sam Bennett, D Brandon Montour, F Lucas Wallmark, D Lucas Carlsson, F Brad Morrison, 2022 sixth-round pick (CGY)
Out – F Brett Connolly, F Vinnie Hinostroza, D Riley Stillman, F Henrik Borgstrom, F Emil Heineman, 2022 second-round pick, 2021 third-round pick, 2021 seventh-round pick

Nashville Predators
Status: Neutral

In – D Erik Gudbranson
Out – D Brandon Fortunato, 2023 seventh-round pick

Tampa Bay Lightning
Status: Buyer

In – D David Savard, D Fredrik Claesson, D Brian Lashoff, F Antoine Morand, conditional 2023 seventh-round pick
Out – F Alexander Volkov, G Magnus Chrona, 2021 first-round pick, 2022 third-round pick, 2021 fourth-round pick

Florida Panthers Expected To Acquire Sam Bennett

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The Calgary Flames have begun to move out some of the disappointing core, working on a trade that will send Sam Bennett to the Florida Panthers according to several reports including Chris Johnston of Sportsnet. Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports that the Flames will receive a 2022 second-round pick and prospect Emil Heineman. Florida will also get a 2022 sixth-round pick.

Bennett, 24, was the fourth overall pick in 2014, the same draft the Panthers took Aaron Ekblad first. The grinding forward just hasn’t been able to turn himself into any sort of an offensive player, scoring just 140 points in 402 career games. This year he has four goals and 12 points in 38 games, just not anywhere near effective enough to stick around in Calgary’s long-term plans.

The interesting thing with Bennett is that almost every time the Flames have taken the ice in the postseason, he has been one of the most effective players in the game. In 30 career playoff games he has 11 goals and 19 points while racking up a whopping 107 hits, and 71 shots on goal. If Bennett could find a way to bring that level of play to every night of the regular season, he could be a huge presence in the Florida lineup.

At this point though, it’s surprising that the Flames landed even a second-round pick for Bennett, let alone a prospect as well. Heineman isn’t one to overlook either; he was selected 43rd overall in 2020 and is coming off an impressive season in the SHL as a teenager. Heineman hasn’t signed his entry-level contract yet, but he’s a nice prospect to add to the cupboard for Calgary.

Florida is obviously betting that they can turn Bennett’s career around, but they also have to deal with a contract negotiation this summer. The 24-year-old will be an arbitration-eligible restricted free agent at the end of the year and will need a $2.55MM qualifying offer from the team.

It’s that playoff production that the Panthers are likely betting on, as Florida has their sights set on really contending for the Stanley Cup this season. Even if Bennett can just give them a boost in this year’s postseason he would be a worthy rental, if an expensive one.

Snapshots: Bennett, Niemela, Ovechkin

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Sam Bennett is expected to be a healthy scratch again tonight for the Calgary Flames, according to Darren Dreger of TSN. Bennett, whose agent made it clear that a change of scenery would be welcome earlier this season, has been on quite the roller coaster. Suiting up on the fourth line one game, the first line beside Sean Monahan and Johnny Gaudreau another, to finding himself in the press box watching, there has been very little consistency to his 22 games.

Still, there’s just not enough offensive production from Bennett no matter where he is plugged in. With just three goals and four points on the year, he is once again disappointing the Flames, who have now waited nearly seven years for Bennett to fulfill his fourth-overall status. His best offensive season was his rookie year when he scored 18 goals and 36 points.

  • The Toronto Maple Leafs won’t have Topi Niemela in the system next season, as the young defenseman has signed a one-year extension with his Finnish club for the 2021-22 season. Niemela, 18, was the 64th pick in the 2020 draft but has already seen his stock rise after being named the best defenseman at the recent World Junior tournament. He has recorded four points in 15 games for Karpat this season and will stay overseas for at least another year.
  • Trent Frederic might not be so quick to get in Alex Ovechkin’s face the next time they meet, after a spearing incident last night. Ovechkin has been fined $5,000, the maximum allowable under the CBA, for “cup-checking” Frederic after the two had several meetings throughout the game. Frederic, who fought Tom Wilson earlier this season, had challenged Ovechkin earlier in the game, but the veteran spurned the offer. The young Bruins forward has shown a willingness to engage anyone in the league but still hasn’t added much offense—just two goals and three NHL points—since being selected with the 29th pick in 2016.

Edmonton’s Slater Koekkoek Out Months With Broken Collarbone

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Feb 22: Koekkoek has been placed on long-term injured reserve. That means he must miss at least ten games and 24 days, though it is expected he will not play again this season.

Feb 21: The Edmonton Oilers focused on defensive depth and fortunately they did. The team has a number of defensemen currently out with injuries and the list got longer as Slater Koekkoek is expected to be out long-term as he has a broken collarbone, according to TSN’s Jason Gregor. While no official announcement has been made, it is believed the blueliner will be out for a minimum of two to three months, likely keeping him out of the lineup for the rest of the regular season, at least.

Koekkoek says he was injured on his first shift of the game Saturday against the Calgary Flames when he took a hit from Sam Bennett. While hardly a top-pairing defenseman, Koekkoek seemed to have found a home in Edmonton with some solid play on the team’s third pairing. He has appeared in 17 of the team’s 20 games this season, while averaging 12:55 of ATOI. He has one goal this season and 29 blocked shots.

The 27-year-old blueliner has bounced around the last few years after being drafted 10th overall in 2012 by the Tampa Bay Lightning. Koekkoek was never able to find a regular rotation spot with the Lightning and later was traded to the Chicago Blackhawks for Jan Rutta. He did play in a career-high 42 games with the Blackhawks last year with a goal and 10 points before signing with Edmonton during the offseason.

The team is already without Oskar Klefbom (shoulder, out for the season), Ethan Bear (head, out since Jan. 30), William Lagesson (upper-body, out past three games) and now Koekkoek isn’t helping with their depth issues. Not that he was expected to help, but in a separate tweet, Gregor notes that defensive prospect Dmitri Samorukov, who is on loan to the KHL this season, is also out for the season after suffering a shoulder injury in practice. The team has recalled defenseman Theodor Lennstrom, who has been playing with Bakersfield of the AHL and now has been moved to the team’s taxi squad.

Brad Treliving Discusses Sam Bennett’s Trade Request

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Last month, some eyebrows were raised when Flames forward Sam Bennett’s trade request became public through comments from his agent Darren Ferris.  Calgary GM Brad Treliving decided to comment on the matter on Friday in an interview with Sportsnet 960 (audio link):

A few weeks ago, I think we all saw, Sam’s agent decided to have a conversion with the media in talking about changes of scenery and all that.  We’ll determine, whether it be Sam Bennett or anybody else, what their scenery is and when it’s going to change.

Until such time, Sam is a member of the Calgary Flames. He’s like every other member of the Calgary Flames. We think Sam is a hell of a player and we expect him to be a real good player here, and we’ll go from there.

It has been somewhat of a rocky six seasons in Calgary for the 2014 fourth-overall pick.  His offensive game hasn’t improved much over the years with his most productive campaign coming in his rookie year when he had 18 goals and 18 assists, more than respectable numbers as a junior-aged player.  However, he hasn’t had more than 27 points in a single season since then.

But when the playoffs have come around, Bennett has been a much bigger contributor.  He had five goals in 10 games in the bubble last summer to lead the team while also chipping in with 54 hits.  Power forwards are hard to come by and his playoff performances keep earning him extra chances with the Flames.

Unfortunately for both him and the team, he hasn’t been able to bring that same level of performance to the regular season.  He has just two goals and an assist this season despite spending time both at center and on the wing, at times as high as the top line.  He was made a healthy scratch not long after his trade request and wound up sitting for the entire third period last night with head coach Geoff Ward not pleased about his performance.

While Treliving is understandably displeased that Bennett’s trade request went public (especially after not informing the team of it first), this could soon be a situation where a move winds up being best for both sides.  Bennett is in the final year of a two-year, $5.1MM deal and is owed a $2.55MM qualifying offer this summer to retain his RFA rights.  If he continues to struggle offensively, it would be a risk to qualify him and give him arbitration eligibility while working out a deal to avoid that seems unlikely given the trade request.  There’s still time for him to turn things around before the April 12th trade deadline but Bennett is going to be at the forefront of trade speculation for a while yet regardless of Treliving’s comments.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

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