The Florida Panthers have most of their Stanley Cup winning core locked up long-term — Sasha Barkov, Matthew Tkachuk, Sam Reinhart, Carter Verhaeghe and Gustav Forsling should all be part of the equation in South Beach for the foreseeable future.
But what about Sam Bennett? The 28-year-old has been a key piece of the squad’s success, and he’s been excellent again in 2024-25, to the tune of 13 goals and 26 points in 28 games. That’s good for fourth in team scoring.
Bennett is set to become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season, and he was included on Nick Kypreos of Sportsnet’s first trade board of the season on Wednesday.
“He sits at the very top of the grit list for any team looking for that element because of how the Florida Panthers won the Stanley Cup last season — and the Panthers have received plenty of feedback from teams that would be willing to pay a boatload to get him,” the hockey insider wrote.
“Bennett would be a hard player for Florida to lose as they try and defend their championship. With 13 goals and 26 points already, Bennett is their most physical player on the roster. But with an expiring contract, there’s a risk they’ll lose him for nothing next summer and that’s not so appealing to GM Bill Zito so from what I’m told, he’ll listen.”
Kypreos believes there’s “more than a 50-50 chance Bennett could be traded this season if they don’t close the negotiation gap, which sits today as wide as a football field.”
The Panthers would not want to lose Bennett for nothing in the offseason, and Zito might take advantage of the center’s high current trade value.
“Unless the Panthers decide to keep him as their ‘own rental’ I would see this as a sign and trade scenario so the Panthers and Bennett can squeeze as much out of a deal as possible,” Kypreos wrote. “In return Florida would want a current player who can help them right away, and not just futures as they’re still chasing another Stanley Cup.”
The Panthers are certainly Stanley Cup contenders again, having begun the 2024-25 campaign 18-9-2 — good for tops in the Atlantic Division.
After a bit of a delayed Stanley Cup hangover in mid-November, the Cats have been surging. They’ve won six times in seven tries and have leapfrogged the Toronto Maple Leafs at the top of the division.
That’s not at all surprising, as this Florida team has been a powerhouse ever since trading for Tkachuk. But Bennett is an instrumental piece of the success, and he would certainly be a difficult player to replace.
If talks go nowhere, it makes sense that Zito would move on from the player. But there’s still a chance that the two sides find common ground at some point ahead of next summer.
It’ll be interesting to see if Bennett ends up getting an extension in Florida, but the Canadian is probably more focused on helping the Panthers capture two Stanley Cups in three years next spring.
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The Vancouver Canucks have an interesting prospect group, and now Braeden Cootes and Wilson Bjorck are invited to a top NHL Summer Showcase. Braeden Cootes was a top pick of the Vancouver Canucks in the 2025 NHL Draft, and quickly he's become a fan favourite, with the team inking him to a three-year Entry Level Deal shortly after being drafted. Now, he's catching attention around the league, as he, along with Wilson Bjorck, a fifth-round pick in the 2025 NHL Draft have now been invited to the NHL's World Juniors Summer Showcase. Cootes, a native of Alberta will continue to make his case for a spot on the Team Canada 2025 World Juniors squad, while Bjorck is firming as an intriguing piece for what could be a highly competitive Swedish squad at the tournament. Last season, Cootes had 63 points in 60 games played for the WHL's Seattle Thunderbirds, and given the two-way game that he brings to the ice, he could be a very valuable piece for Canada at the tournament, with the Canucks already valuing him highly as a potential middle-six centre of the future. As for Bjorck, he went highly underrated in the draft process this year, and after putting up 67 points in 43 games for Djurgardens Jr. last season, if he can continue to develop physically, he is certainly a piece for the Canucks fans to watch moving forward. Ultimately, this just goes to show what a promising prospect group the Canucks have been building in recent years, and if the duo of Cootes and Bjorck among others from this draft class pan out, the future remains very bright in Vancouver.
The Pittsburgh Steelers have had a clear focus during each NFL Draft that Omar Khan has been in charge of the front office. The team has wanted to build up the trenches in order to dominate the line of scrimmage, which is why so many selections have been used on both the offensive and defensive lines. Sometimes, however, it is not only the draft picks that are important parts to any given NFL franchise's future, but rather, the undrafted players that end up getting an opportunity. Pittsburgh has been known to focus on this pool and find diamonds several diamonds in the rough over the years. The most present examples of this are Jaylen Warren and Beanie Bishop Jr., both of whom will contribute for the team in 2025. One new individual who has stood out over the course of the offseason has been rookie hybrid player, DJ Thomas-Jones. Coming off of a promising collegiate career at the University of South Alabama, the natural tight end is looking to find a permanent home at the professional level. The Steelers gave Thomas-Jones a record-breaking signing bonus that was almost ruined by the Detroit Lions, but now, bad news lingers for the rookie as he suffered a significant injury during Sunday's training camp practice in Latrobe. ESPN's Brooke Pryor gave an update, and Head Coach Mike Tomlin recognized that the injury was significant. It would be a crushing blow for the rookie if he has to miss a lot of time. The worst case scenario would be a season-ending injury, and that would absolutely hurt his chances of making his name known in the NFL. Thomas-Jones was a long shot to make the initial 53-man roster anyway, but he definitely had a place on the team's practice squad once September rolled around. Unfortunately, Tomlin and Khan may not have the opportunity to give him another chance. The tight end room is extremely crowed for the Steelers, with it being headlined by Pat Freiermuth and Jonnu Smith. Thomas-Jones had a chance to show the team that he might be worth a practice squad slot and future legitimate roster spot, but any significant injury that an undrafted rookie suffers could possibly ruin his ability to eventually get into a uniform on Sundays. There will be more information that comes out regarding Thomas-Jones' injury in the coming days, but leaving on a cart during training camp is never a good sign. The first-year player could be looking at something that takes months to heal, and that can be assumed because of Tomlin's specific use of the word "significant." Thomas-Jones may have had a chance to work in as a fullback for the Steelers, but even if that plan was on the table, it is officially on hold as the organization's decision-makers wait for official word on how serious it might be. Steelers Preparing To Get Huge Seasons From Freiermuth And Smith Pittsburgh made the decision to trade for Smith in order to pair him with Freiermuth in an offense that was desperate for another playmaker. The injury to Thomas-Jones won't be looked at as a positive, but he had very little chance of making an impact in 2025 regardless. The best situation possible would be for him to be out for a limited time, and end up landing on the practice squad. With Tomlin's update, however, that may not be the case.
Right-handed slugger Mark Vientos is in his fourth season with the New York Mets after making his debut in 2022. The 24-year-old emerged as a rising star for New York last year, playing 111 games and posting career highs with a .266 batting average and an .837 OPS. He also elevated his performance in the 2024 postseason, batting .327 with 18 hits, five home runs, 14 RBIs and eight runs scored in 13 games, leading the Mets to an NLCS appearance. Vientos recently recovered from a right hamstring strain that sidelined him for a few weeks in June, but since then he has really struggled to return to form and regain his production at the plate. Ahead of Sunday’s series finale against the San Francisco Giants, the Mets decided to bench Vientos (the second time in the last three games). The decision to leave him out of the lineup came after Bob Nightengale reported that the Chicago White Sox require Vientos to be involved in any trade for center fielder Luis Robert Jr. Mets general manager David Stearns recently said the Mets will be “engaged” when it comes to possibly adding a center fielder, so addressing that outfield need and Vientos losing playing time may push the organization to part ways with him. In 2025, Vientos is hitting .226 with a .638 OPS, six home runs and 27 RBIs, a steep drop-off in production after his breakout year. He will remain under team control for five more seasons after 2025 and will not hit free agency until 2030.
For the past two seasons, Joel Embiid has been dealing with a knee issue. The former MVP underwent surgery in April to try to repair his meniscus, the second time he's received such surgery in the past 12 months. Embiid recently sat down for a tell-all interview with ESPN's Dotun Akintoye, where he detailed the struggles his body is currently going through. "We're not going to push anything," Embiid said. "For my whole career, I felt like we never took that approach ... We don't have a timeline. Hopefully, sooner rather than later ... It's all about the results ... If I come back early enough and I'm still not myself, guess what? You're not winning any games." Embiid's struggles have left the Sixers in a precarious situation. President of basketball operations Daryl Morey has built the entire roster around the star center's unique skill set. Philadelphia has constructed a team to go as far as Embiid can take it. It makes sense, then, that Embiid is just as frustrated with his injury-induced absences as the rest of the Sixers fanbase. In a July 27 appearance on Sirius XM Radio, Sixers beat writer Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer shared a unique take on the big man's recent interview and the messaging he's been putting out recently. "I think Joel may know that the end is near, and this is just me saying, and it's kind of like explaining to people what he's been going through," Pompey said. "Because rarely do you have a guy tell you how much pain (they're in) and how much they're going through. The thing I took from it was no matter who is there, the culture is the same. And I feel like Joel Embiid knows that it may not be this season, but the end is near. Maybe he feels as though he can't play to the level he used to. I could be wrong. He could come out and have another MVP season. But that was my takeaway." Embiid is probably one more lost season away from making such a difficult decision. He's only suited up for 58 games over the past two seasons, 39 in 2023-24 and 19 in 2024-25. Embiid doesn't project as the sort of player who would accept a decline while still cashing enormous checks that limit his team's ability to compete. The problem for Embiid is that injuries are only half the battle. Even when healthy, conditioning has been his Achilles heel. So, not only would he need to stay injury-free, both with his knee and his back, but he would also need to get into the best shape of his life. Anything less, and the Sixers could be doomed to repeat their failures of the past. Embiid is still working his way through a long road of recovery. However, he may also be coming to terms that the NBA chapter of his life is on the final few pages, and that must be a daunting reality to face.