NHL's Lack of Action Against Panthers Forward is Embarrassing

To put it bluntly, the fact that Bennett won't face any consequences for his hit on Stolarz - his former Panthers teammate, by the way - is absurd. Whether it was an elbow, as Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube described it, or a punch with the glove, as it appears to be in slow motion, it's going to have lasting implications for Stolarz, especially considering the immediate aftermath of the injury.

If this were an isolated incident, maybe one could brush it off as an accident. However, it's not an isolated incident, for both Bennett and the Panthers.

In 2023, Bennett concussed Maple Leafs forward Matthew Knies during Game 2 of that second-round series with a move that looks like it belongs more in the octagon than on the ice. He received no penalty and no supplemental discipline.

In 2024, Bennett concussed then-Boston Bruins forward Brad Marchand, who is ironically now a Panther himself, with some angles showing a clear punch. Bennett received no penalty and no supplemental discipline.

That's just with Bennett, as multiple Panthers players have had similar incidents over the past few years. Whether it be in the first round against the Tampa Bay Lightning, when Matthew Tkachuk got nothing for a late hit in a decided game and Niko Mikkola only got a fine for boarding a defenseless player on his knees, or during their back-to-back Stanley Cup Final runs, the Panthers have had several questionable hits go either unpunished or lightly punished.

One can speculate on the reason for that trend, but no matter the reason, the league's failure to crack down on these hits is simply embarrassing. Clearly the league has forgotten about the infamous Todd Bertuzzi-Steve Moore incident in 2004, which was directly a result of a failure to suspend a player after a questionable hit, because this is exactly how that happens again.