NHL insider gets honest about Sam Bennett's 'track history' of nasty hits on Matthew Knies, Mitch Marner 

Sam Bennett is known for his aggressive play, often delivering hits that raise concern. During Monday's playoff game between the Florida Panthers and Toronto Maple Leafs, Bennett hit Leafs goalie Anthony Stolarz in the head with his forearm, sending him to the hospital. The referees didn’t call a penalty, which upset many.

It was not the first time Bennett had been involved in controversial hits. In 2023, he injured Toronto’s Matthew Knies with a hit that caused a concussion. Last year, Bennett avoided punishment after hitting Brad Marchand, who was still with the Boston Bruins at the time.

TSN analyst and former Leafs player Frank Corrado joined "First Up" to discuss Bennett’s play, saying that while he is a skilled player, his hits to the head seem intentional. Corrado believes the NHL should pay closer attention to Bennett’s actions.

"Sam Bennett is very good player," Corrado said on Tuesday. "He's going to be a very high, highly coveted player when, you know, when it's all said and done and he hits the market, or he does hit the market, he's a guy that 31 other teams would love to have on their team."

Corrado also mentioned that while Bennett is a talented player who will be highly sought after, his track record is concerning. He added that opposing teams and the league need to be aware of his past actions.

"You can see the track record, though, if you're playing against them, or if you're the opposition management group and, you know, coaching staff, it's like, you have to kind of put the league on notice and say, like, we're aware of what's happened with this guy, and you guys, meaning the officials in the league need to be watching this as well because accidentally on purpose, it crosses the line to on purpose," Corrado said.

After Sam Bennett's incident, Leafs players like Knies and Woll showed concern for Stolarz

Matthew Knies called Sam Bennett an "intimidating player" and hoped the NHL would protect players.

Joseph Woll said the team feels like a family, so seeing Anthony Stolarz hurt was tough.

“When you see your teammate go down like that, it’s not good,” Woll said on Monday, via NHL.com. “When he goes down on the ice or when he wasn’t feel well coming to the bench. These guys are trying to create a family atmosphere in here, so it’s just like one of your family members.”

The team feels strongly about protecting its players, and seeing Stolarz hurt was troubling. The Toronto Maple Leafs hope the NHL will take action to prevent these kinds of hits in the future.