NHL analyst weighs in on Sam Bennett’s free agency outlook; floats bumper contract extension to stay with Panthers

Sam Bennett and the Florida Panthers are rolling along, well on their way to making the Stanley Cup Finals for the third consecutive season.

Florida is up 3-0 in the Eastern Conference finals, ready to bring out the brooms and sweep away the Carolina Hurricanes on Monday night.

They are poised to challenge for back-to-back Stanley Cups, looking like a well-oiled machine that is not slowing down anytime soon. The Panthers have gotten contributions from throughout their lineup, demonstrating the depth they possess, unlike any other team in the NHL.

Ten different players have already recorded 10 or more points in these playoffs. Captain Aleksander Barkov leads the Panthers in points; however, the guy behind him, who also leads the team in goals, is Sam Bennett.

Bennett is a pending UFA, and according to ESPN's John Buccigross, the entire NHL will be interested in his services should he hit the open market on July 1. Buccigross shared his take on X.

"Wherever he wants. All 32 teams would be interested in Sam Bennett. I would stay in Florida at 8x8," Buccigross wrote.

Bennett is playing out the final season of his four-year, $17.7 million contract extension signed with the Panthers in 2021.

The price for Sam Bennett continues to rise

Sam Bennett's agent, Darren Ferris, has certainly enjoyed watching his client be a dominant force in the Stanley Cup Playoffs for a third straight year.

The 28-year-old's value seems to go up with every game, and an NHL analyst thinks one team would be willing to pay him $10 million in average annual salary this offseason.

E.J. Hradek posted the update on X on Friday.

"From what I'm hearing, there's at least one team willing to hit that number for Bennett," Hradek wrote.

While Bennett is undoubtedly a hot commodity and extremely valuable, $10 million per season is quite the price to pay. However, it must be remembered that the salary cap is expected to spike up to $113.5 million by the 2027-28 campaign.

For now, Bennett's focus is on Game 4 between the Panthers and Hurricanes on Monday in Florida. The puck drops at 8 p.m. EST at Amerant Bank Arena.