The Toronto Maple Leafs have been linked to free-agent-to-be Sam Bennett. Bennett is in the midst of a tremendous Stanley Cup Final performance with the Florida Panthers, potentially locking up the team’s second-straight championship this week.
But amid the hype surrounding the Stanley Cup Final, the business of hockey emerges. Bennett does not currently have a contract in place for next season. That situation means he’ll need one if he is to continue playing.
According to sources, however, that contract won’t come from the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Ever since Brad Treliving declared that the team needed a “change in DNA,” and Mitch Marner has reportedly checked out, the Leafs will be looking to pivot in a new direction.
That direction, if rumors are to be believed, does not include Sam Bennett. Per Elliotte Friedman, Bennett is likely to re-sign with the Florida Panthers. And, that’s a good thing.
Elliotte Friedman: I think at the end of the day Sam Bennett is likely to stay with the Panthers - SN 590
— NHL Rumour Report (@NHLRumourReport) June 3, 2025
Bennett is coming off a four-year deal worth $4.225 AAV. That was a steal for the Panthers given Bennett’s production in the past two playoff runs.
The bargain, however, won’t be there next time around. Sam Bennet has earned himself a costly contract, one which could go the max-term at something like $7 or $8 million AAV. Some speculation suggests that teams could throw as much as $10 million AAV at Bennett.
That’s one bidding war the Leafs had better stay out of.
Sam Bennett has proven to be a consummate playoff performer. But at what rumors suggest he could get, the Leafs would be overpaying for a player who would be a complementary piece on the Leafs, not the saviour.
Sam Bennett banking on career season with Florida Panthers
My trepidation regarding Sam Bennett’s next contract lies in his track record. Bennett was a middling player in Calgary before joining the Panthers. He never topped 40 points in Calgary, suddenly seeing a spike in his performance following his addition to the Panthers.
So, you could argue that Bennett’s improved performance has been the product of playing with better teammates in Florida than in Calgary.
Even then, Bennett scored 28 goals in his first full season in Florida, then dropped to 16 before rebounding to 20 and 25 the last two regular seasons.
In the playoffs, Reinhart scored five goals in 2023 and seven in 2024. But it’s been this postseason where he’s exploded.
That’s why the recency bias surrounding Bennett is something that some teams will fail to see. They’ll go for the shining toy that is Bennett and his current playoff exploits.
But if you go by his career totals, there’s plenty of room to believe he’ll remain a 30-40-point player in Florida. If he leaves Florida, there’s a chance he becomes the 20-30-point player that he was in Calgary.
Ultimately, the Leafs would do well to stay away from Sam Bennett, at least as far as joining a bidding war is concerned.
If Bennett joins the Leafs on a $4 to $5 million deal, it would make sense for both sides. But anything above that would be a massive overpay on a player that’s yet to cement his legacy as an all-time great.