Panthers’ Sam Bennett wins Conn Smythe Trophy

Bennett led the NHL with 15 goals in the playoffs and picked up 22 points in 22 games during Florida’s run. He scored five goals in six games for the Panthers in the Stanley Cup Final and finished four goals up on Leon Draisaitl on the playoff scoring list.

This is the first time in the history of the Florida Panthers that one of their players has been awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy. When they won their first Stanley Cup in team history in 2024, Connor McDavid was voted the MVP of the playoffs. The captain of the Edmonton Oilers put up 42 points in 25 playoff games and became the sixth player in NHL history to win the Conn Smythe while on the losing team.

This playoff performance came at a perfect time for Bennett, as the soon-to-be 29-year-old is set to hit the open market as an unrestricted free agent this summer. Unless the Panthers can reach an extension in the coming weeks, Bennett will be one of the top players available come July 1.

The Panthers acquired Bennett in April of 2021 from the Calgary Flames in exchange for a second-round pick and a prospect. He scored 15 points in his first 10 games with Florida to finish the shortened 2021 season and then signed a four-year, $17.7 million contract in the off-season as a restricted free agent.

Over those four seasons in Florida, Bennett developed into the player the Flames selected with the fourth overall pick in the 2014 draft. He scored 89 goals and 181 points over 279 regular-season games for the Panthers over those years and added 54 points in 72 playoff games.