With the Florida Panthers basking in the glory of their back-to-back Stanley Cup Finals wins in 2025, all eyes are now on the upcoming off-season contracts. The Panthers are really strong on the ice, but they’ve got to be careful with their salary cap situation. Some important players like Sam Bennett, Aaron Ekblad, and Brad Marchand are getting close to free agency on July 1, and so far, none of them have signed a new deal. Since the Panthers have about $19 million in cap space, GM Bill Zito might have to make some tough choices — keeping one star could mean saying goodbye to another.

So, let me tell you about Sam Bennett during Florida’s 2025 Stanley Cup run—he was absolutely incredible! He topped the postseason charts with 15 goals. Plus, he set a record with 13 goals on the road and snagged the Conn Smythe Trophy as the playoff MVP. What a performance! He really made his mark in both physical play and offense. There was this memorable moment in Game 3 where he laid down a huge hit and then dashed the entire length of the ice to score on a breakaway. It really showed off how he could be a threat in so many ways in the NHL.

“He’s been an animal this whole playoffs. He’s built for this time of year,” said Brad Marchand, about Bennett’s performance in these crucial games. “Just how competitive he is and how intense. Obviously you see the physicality piece. That shift was a perfect example of his game. He blows two guys up and then somehow leads the rush after that and scores a beautiful goal.”

Sure, he’s a strong candidate to keep his seat in Florida, but there’s still a lot of uncertainty. However, on X, @ratsrunthiscity reported: “Chucky & the crowd made sure to remind Benny of the no tax advantage in Florida.” So what’s going on?

At Florida’s Stanley Cup celebration at the Elbo Room, Matthew Tkachuk jokingly reminded Sam Bennett that Florida has no state income tax—a pretty sweet deal—and the crowd jumped on it, bursting into chants of “Eight more years! Eight more years!” It really highlighted how fans and teammates were coming together, appreciating both his loyalty and the practical perk of playing in a state without income tax.

Bennett’s reaction after lifting the Cup really says it all, doesn’t it? “It’s hard to describe,” Bennett said after winning the Stanley Cup. “This is way harder than I thought it would be, to win and to win twice. We put in so much work for this and I’m so proud of this group. It’s incredible the team we have here; I’m so proud of all the guys and it’s the best feeling in the world. I don’t know how else to describe it.” Moving to Florida has been a big step in his career, and I’m sure he’s happy to keep playing with them. Did you know that Bennett actually faced some criticism from the community even after winning the Conn Smythe Trophy?

Sam Bennett got into trouble

Roman Josi, the Swiss defenseman for the Nashville Predators, found out he has Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS) after taking a hit from Sam Bennett on February 25, 2025. Josi said that the hit, which made his head bang against the glass, was when everything shifted.

After that, he began to deal with some ongoing problems like feeling dizzy, having a racing heartbeat when he stood up, and just feeling really tired all the time. So, during a check-up for a concussion in Denver, a few warning signs came up. The doctors found out he had POTS and set him up with a treatment plan that involved some therapies and beta-blockers.

Bennett is facing quite a bit of backlash since numerous individuals think his hit was the direct cause of Josi’s season-ending injury. We’ll just have to wait and see if Josi can make a healthy comeback to the NHL next season.