Lately, there’s been a lot of buzz about Brad Marchand and Sam Bennett, especially since it looks like both guys are set to stick with the Florida Panthers for a while longer. During the playoffs, Marchand really stepped up his game—he scored 10 goals and added 10 assists for a total of 20 points in 23 games, all while boasting a league-best plus-17 rating. Bennett had a solid regular season too, putting up 51 points in 76 games (25 goals, 26 assists), along with a minus-15 rating. He was definitely the driving force for Florida in the playoffs, scoring 15 goals to top all players and snagging the Conn Smythe Trophy as the playoff MVP while the Panthers made their repeat performance.

Marchand and Sam Bennett really clicked together for Florida. Marchand brought that steady scoring and leadership, while Bennett added the physical play, energy, and finishing skills. So, both of them are going to hit UFA on July 1, and their future in the NHL is still up in the air. But both of them have said they want to stick with Florida. During the victory celebration, Bennett made it clear with a strong, “I ain’t f***ing leaving.” Then, when a reporter turned to Marchand and asked, “What do you have to say to Bill Zito?” The NHL star exclaimed, “Give me a contract!”

This really highlights the dedication Brad Marchand and Co. have to the Panthers as a franchise. Yeah, they really see it as family! So, what about GM Bill Zito? He’s just as excited as the players to keep them in his franchise.

At the victory parade, as shown on SleeperNHL on X, he mentioned, “We want to keep everybody together. If we can’t, it’s okay. Like, people, you know, you’ve moved up in your career, right? You, wherever you are, and people get paid, and there’s a salary cap, but we’re going to try. You know, you can’t say, oh, we’re going to free people. But certainly, every day we go to work, it’s to win. That’s it. That’s all we care about is winning. And so when we start from there, actually fun becomes a part of winning, right? And that’s what we think fuels it. But we’re going to try.”

Zito pointed out that the Panthers’ organization is really committed to keeping their championship-caliber roster with the likes of Sam Reinhart, Matthew Tkachuk, Aleksander Barkov, Sam Bennett, and Brad Marchand  intact. He recognized the realities of the NHL’s salary cap and how players progress in their careers, but he was clear that Florida is prepared to make the necessary moves—right up to the cap ceiling—to keep the core team intact.

This approach shows a careful balancing act between financial limits and the drive to compete. He really understands the worth of these players, and this isn’t the first time he’s shared his positive thoughts about his team.

Bill Zito was confident to sign Brad Marchand, Sam Bennett and others for a certain reason

During a chat with the TSN Hockey panel, Florida Panthers GM Bill Zito said, “I think we can bring them all back.” The franchise has $19 million in cap space left, and there’s an optimistic feeling that it’s enough to keep players like Marchand, Sam Bennett, and a few others who are about to hit UFA in just a few days. But there was a certain reason for wanting to keep these new additions in the squad like Marchand and Seth Jones.

Zito mentioned, “As impactful as they are on the ice, the fact that if you came into our room this morning and you’ve never been, you didn’t know, you wouldn’t have been able to tell that those were the new guys, and so the way they’ve figured a way to fit in and the way that their teammates have pulled them in, it’s still the team, the single entity. I think that speaks volumes as far the character of those guys and the character of the room.”

Absolutely, these players make a difference not just on the ice, but they’ve also fostered a family vibe within the team. Zito mentioned that even if someone is new to the squad, you can hardly tell the difference between a Panthers veteran and a rookie. Whatever they’ve accomplished together is something the GM definitely wants to hold onto for the next season.