Insider Drops Disappointing News for NHL Teams Eyeing Panthers' Sam Bennett originally appeared on Athlon Sports. The Florida Panthers have taken a 2-1 lead over the Edmonton Oilers in the Stanley Cup Final and are trying to win their second consecutive championship, but it's never too early to start planning what's next.

Once Atlantic Division rivals, the pair of forwards are making NHL history with fantastic play through the first three games of the final.

Sam Bennett is one of the best stories of the season in the NHL. The No. 4 overall pick in 2014, Bennett flamed out in Calgary. The Flames dealt him to Florida ahead of the 2021 trade deadline, and he's been a different player ever since.

Maurice did so in jest in an amusing in-game interview with TNT Sports's Jackie Redmond during the second period of the Panthers' 6-1 Stanley Cup Final Game 3 victory on Monday night. Here's the funny moment.

As Sam Bennett’s playoff lore continues to grow with each playoff goal scored, his pending free agency only grows more fascinating. On the one hand, you have a soon-to-be 29-year-old second-line center — a decent one that plays with an edge and has scored at a 53-point pace since joining the Florida Panthers.

It seems like every breath Sam Bennett takes earns him another dollar right now. The Florida Panthers center, 28, is competing in his third consecutive Stanley Cup Final, this time doing so as a pending unrestricted free agent,

Our Sam Bennett picks expect the Panthers' center to get plenty of pucks on net vs. the Oilers in Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final.