The Florida Panthers took care of the first of three big pending UFA contracts, signing Sam Bennett to an eight-year contract extension. The deal is worth $8 million per season. Bennett had a great season, leading the playoffs with 15 goals in 23 games. He won the Conn Smythe.
EIGHT MORE YEARS.
— Florida Panthers (@FlaPanthers) June 27, 2025
» https://t.co/Ftzi3kkHFv pic.twitter.com/sefpir9lQL
Bennett joins Aleksander Barkov, Matthew Tkachuk, Sam Reinhart, Anton Lundell, Carter Verhaeghe, Seth Jones, and Gustav Forsling as signed through 2030 (or beyond) by Florida. Now, the focus will shift to Aaron Ekblad and Brad Marchand.
This is less than Bennett could have earned on the open market, but the no-tax state advantage helped him keep the annual average salary down. He also announced, as the team was celebrating their most recent Stanley Cup win, that he wasn’t leaving (with “8 more years” flashing on the screen behind him.
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