Sam Bennett's Conn Smythe win boosts his already-outrageous free-agent value

If you look at Bennett's regular-season numbers throughout his career there is not really anything to suggest that he should be one of the top free agents available — or the type of player who would get a massive contract. He typically scores around 20 goals, finishes with 40 points and is generally a solid if unspectacular offensive player.

A lot of his value comes from his physical play and the chaos he provides as an agitator and cage rattler. 

But what is going to elevate him in the eyes of NHL general managers is the way his production reaches an entirely new level in the playoffs. Especially since joining the Panthers three years ago.

In his most recent three playoff runs with the Panthers — all resulting in a trip to the Stanley Cup Final — he has scored 27 goals in only 62 games, absolutely smashing his regular-season level of production. 

For his playoff career, he averages 31 goals per 82 games, a 12-goal increase over his regular-season average. 

In a league where most players see their offense actually drop in the playoffs, that is a stunning increase in performance.

Whether it's fair or not, and whether it's smart business or not, general managers tend to put a lot of weight on playoff performance, and it's the type of thing that can dramatically change a player's value. 

That can also get teams into trouble, especially when there is no guarantee that Bennett would be as effective offensively in a new situation and on a different team. In Florida, he is only counting about $4 million against the salary cap and is not one of the team's best players. In terms of overall importance, he is more of a secondary player to stars Aleksander Barkov, Matthew Tkachuk and Sam Reinhart. 

Will he still be as effective if he is making $8 million to $10 million, taking up more salary-cap space and expected to carry a more significant part of the offense? It might not work out the same way. But Florida does not care about any of that right now, because in his current salary and role, he ended up playing a key role in a two-time Stanley Cup champion.