Sam Bennett To The Olympics – Replacing Anthony Cirelli

The Panthers’ number of Olympians is now up to 10, as it was announced on Tuesday that Sam Bennett would be replacing the injured Anthony Cirelli. The general consensus from hockey fans when Team Canada announced its roster was that Bennett was snubbed of a roster spot. He was instrumental in the Gold Medal Game at the Four Nations Faceoff, where he scored the game-tying goal to send things into overtime, where Canada eventually won. He’s also coming off a career year last season and a Conn Smythe run from the Stanley Cup Playoffs. With a resume like that, he seemed to be a lock for the Olympics, which is why it was so shocking when he wasn’t. If the reporting from the team announcement period is accurate, it seems that Cooper advocated for Cirelli over Bennett to the higher-ups on Team Canada. While you can’t blame a coach for wanting their own players on the national team they’re coaching, it wasn’t a popular decision with Canadian hockey fans. 

Team Canada won’t be losing any size in the player swap as both are listed at 6’1 and 193 lbs. Points-wise, Bennett’s on pace for another career year. Through 55 games, he has 19 goals & 23 assists for 42 points compared to last season, where he broke the 50 point mark for the first time in his career at 51 pts (25G, 26A) in 76 games. But he’s not called Playoff Sam Bennett for no reason. In the Cats’ most recent Cup run, Sam had the best postseason of his career, putting up 22 pts in 23 games with 15 goals and 7 assists. He set a new NHL record for goals scored on the road at 13 in the process. High-pressure games are where he shines the most, and he has built in chemistry with Brad Marchand and Sam Reinhart. Although it’s unlikely that Bennett will play with Reinhart on a line, he did play with Brad at the Four Nations before Marchand became a Panther. Most surprisingly, Bennett has evolved his game this season with the Cats due to necessity. Sam has started killing penalties for Florida and shown that he’s reliable and trustworthy out there when down a man. It’s unlikely that he’ll see power play time at the Olympics, but Cooper now has the option to trust him with the PK and give the top-end players a break. Whether or not he does is up in the air, but if they’re looking to fill Cirelli’s role, Bennett can do that. Although Sam left the Panthers’ game Monday night with an injury, it was reported Tuesday that it’s not serious and that he could play as early as Wednesday against the Bruins.