NHL Insider Frank Seravalli expects Bennett’s contract to be approximately 8 years at $7.5 million annually. This figure feels a touch low given Bennett is coming off a Conn Smythe-caliber effort. It also means the Panthers have a legitimate shot at bringing him back.

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.

Sam Bennett was awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy as the NHL playoffs MVP before a jubilant Amerant Bank Arena crowd in Sunrise, Florida, on June 17.