Paul Bissonnette demands monstrous contract for Sam Bennett, makes direct comparison with $42M NHL star

Paul Bissonnette believes Sam Bennett deserves a big raise after his strong playoff performance this season. On the "Spittin' Chiclets" podcast, he said Bennett should get $10 million per season and compared him to Nikolaj Ehlers, who also finished his $42 million contract with the Winnipeg Jets.

"Sam Bennett just scored more goals in this playoff run than Nikolaj has in his entire playoff f***ing career.” Bissonnette said.

Co-host Ryan Whitney pointed out that Bennett outscored Auston Matthews in the playoffs with 15 goals and 22 points in 23 playoff games. He won the Conn Smythe Trophy as his five goals helped the Florida Panthers beat the Edmonton Oilers to win the Stanley Cup. Sam Bennett’s regular season was solid too: 25 goals, 26 assists, as well as 90 penalty minutes and 241 shots.

Bissonnette said critics should not focus on regular-season stats, explaining that Florida rested players before the playoffs. The team focused on being ready for the first playoff game, not regular-season wins.

"(Imitating critics) You (Bennett) only had 50 points in the regular season.' I don't give a flying f**k," Bissonnette said. "Half their team didn't even f***ing finish the regular season. They were just resting them. They didn't even care about winning their f***ing division. All they cared about was the first f***ing game of the playoffs."

The Panthers tied the NHL record for most road wins in a playoff run and considering Bennett scored many of those goals on the road, he deserved a top-tier contract, according to Paul Bissonnette.

"And who scored the most f***ing goals going into the other f***ing team's barn? " Bissonnette said. "Third f***ing team by Sam the Menace. Bennett, baby, 10 million all day. You guys hear me in the chat? 10 f***ing million, baby."

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Nikolaj Ehlers did not perform at Sam Bennett's level

Nikolaj Ehlers had a good year, but not at the same level in the playoffs. He had seven points in nine playoff games this year. In the regular season, he posted 24 goals and 39 assists. Ehlers has played ten seasons with the Winnipeg Jets. He has been consistent but hasn’t made deep playoff runs. He is now an unrestricted free agent.

Bissonnette believes playoff impact should matter more in contract talks. He thinks Sam Bennett’s ability to perform in big games is rare. He made it clear that he values results over advanced stats. Whether Bennett gets $10 million remains to be seen, but his strong playoff run has definitely raised his value.