So, in Game 1 of the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs’ second round, there was this pretty controversial moment when Florida Panthers forward Sam Bennett made a hit on Toronto Maple Leafs goaltender Anthony Stolarz. Halfway through the second period, Bennett was charging toward the net on a power play when he ended up making contact with Stolarz, hitting him in the back of the head with his right arm. During the game, the contact did not result in a penalty.
After the hit, Stolarz looked pretty rough, even throwing up on the bench, and he ended up being taken to the hospital for a check-up. So, in the middle of all this buzz, NHL insider Elliotte Friedman has dropped some important info about the hockey forward’s future with the NHL team. “So I got a call on Tuesday afternoon from someone in the league, and he said that he was surprised that after everything that happened on Monday night and the aftermath that Sam Bennett hadn’t signed a contract extension with the Panthers by Tuesday afternoon,” the hockey insider shared on the 32 Thoughts podcast.
Bennett put pen to paper on a 4-year deal worth $17,700,000, which comes with a cap hit of $4,425,000 each season, on July 26, 2021. This contract is set to expire this year. It seems like everyone is wondering when Florida will extend one of their top forwards on the roster.
“He said that all of this noise is the best advertisement for Sam Bennett to stay in Florida than anything else that could have happened, and you know, I’ve always believed that most likely he stays, but this guy, he works for another team. He guaranteed that Bill Zito and Paul Maurice were going up to him and saying, ‘Really, you want to leave where we are to go play like somewhere like this where all this noise is going to come every time you do something. You don’t want to leave Florida,’” said Friedman.
Friedman mentioned that a certain someone was surprised that the Florida Panthers hadn’t locked in a contract extension with their forward. They mentioned that all the media buzz around Bennett’s controversial hit on Maple Leafs goaltender Anthony Stolarz was probably the best way to keep Bennett with the Panthers. He thought that Panthers’ general manager Bill Zito and head coach Paul Maurice might be pointing out to Bennett how great it is to stay in Florida, where he gets support, rather than dealing with more pressure in other places.
Friedman pointed out that even though contract talks between Bennett and the Panthers hit a snag before, it seems like both sides are keen to wrap up a new deal. This is especially true considering how well Bennett has been playing this season and the team’s wish to keep his tough style on the field. So far this season, how has the hockey forward fared?
Sam Bennett is performing at his very best
During the 2024-25 NHL season, Sam Bennett really stepped up for the Florida Panthers, putting together his best season yet with 25 goals and 26 assists, totaling 51 points across 76 games. His aggressive, physical style was definitely a key part of his game, as shown by those 90 penalty minutes.
Bennett missed the last five regular-season games because of an upper-body injury he got in early April, but he was expected to be back for the playoffs. He really made a difference for the Panthers, adding depth to their offense and bringing a strong physical presence, which highlighted just how important he was to the team’s success. In the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs, he’s really been a standout player for the Panthers roster. He’s played 6 games and has racked up 4 goals, 2 assists, and a total of 6 points.
So, he recently found himself in a bit of hot water after accidentally bumping into the Toronto Maple Leafs goalie, Anthony Stolarz. “I heard that he went to the hospital last night, and he’s a good friend of mine. I reached out to him. He responded. Never want to see an injury like that. From my point of view, I’m just taking the puck the net. I didn’t even know that we made contact until after,” Bennett said after Game 1. The NHLPA has confirmed that the Panthers forward won’t face any penalties for what went down on the ice with the Maple Leafs goaltender. We’ll just have to wait and see how Bennett performs in Game 2.
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