Why turn down a massive payday and the open market after winning it all? For Sam Bennett, the answer was never about the highest bidder; it was about the man behind the bench. Fresh off a Stanley Cup and a Conn Smythe Trophy, Bennett shocked many by locking in an eight-year extension with the Florida Panthers. But look a little closer, and it all makes sense. In Florida, he’s not just found a winning team, he’s found a coach who believes in him, challenges him, and lets him be exactly who he is.

“He’s by far the best coach I’ve ever had… certainly excited to play for him for a long time.” That one line, dropped casually during post-Cup celebrations, carried weight. Paul Maurice isn’t just drawing up systems; he’s building a room players want to stay in. Maurice understands Bennett’s edge, the fire, the grit, the chaos, and instead of trying to tame it, he lets Bennett lean into it. That freedom has brought out the best in the Panthers forward. Throughout the playoffs, Maurice not only praised Bennett’s performances but did so with his signature dry wit. During Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final, when asked about Bennett mid-game, Maurice didn’t give the usual canned response. Instead, he joked.

“He’s got a horrible attitude… we’re not sure he can be cured. It’s just below dengue fever—maybe bubonic plague.” This moment, which quickly went viral, wasn’t just funny; it revealed the playful, close-knit bond between coach and player. Maurice doesn’t just manage Bennett, he gets him. And Sam Bennett, in return, has found a coach worth going to war for. But is that why Bennett turned down a shot at free agency riches to stay in Florida? No doubt about it. And that’s why Bennett signed an eight-year contract extension worth $8 million annually, nearly doubling his salary. He could’ve chased more money elsewhere, but he chose to stay, and the reason wasn’t just team success.

Since joining the Panthers at the 2021 trade deadline from Calgary, Sam Bennett has flourished under Maurice’s system, becoming one of the team’s most reliable and feared players. His physical edge, scoring touch, and playoff consistency helped power Florida to back-to-back championships. Maurice has repeatedly called Bennett an “identity player,” and Bennett’s numbers back it up: 196 points in 289 games, over 600 hits, and a career-best 51-point season in 2024–25. For context?

He had just 140 points in 402 games with the Flames. That kind of leap doesn’t happen by accident. It happens when a player is trusted, challenged, and allowed to be his raw, relentless self. And that’s what Paul Maurice gives him. Florida isn’t just where Sam Bennett wins, it’s where he belongs. So when people wonder if he’d ever leave, ask yourself this: Who walks away from the one coach who’s been your backbone through every headline, every hit, every storm? Even when the controversy turned stomach-churning, literally like last month’s hit that left a goalie vomiting on the bench, Maurice never wavered. Hard to remember? Read below…

Sam Bennett keeps swinging and Paul Maurice keeps covering

Sam Bennett has built a reputation as one of the NHL’s most physical and often controversial forwards, but what’s more striking is how head coach Paul Maurice has consistently stood by him, no matter how ugly the headlines. In May 2025, during Game 1 of the second-round series against the Toronto Maple Leafs, Bennett elbowed goalie Anthony Stolarz in the head. Stolarz vomited on the bench and had to be stretchered off, but shockingly, no penalty was called. The incident ignited outrage online and in the media. Yet Maurice was unbothered. There were far more egregious collisions in that game last night, but we won’t be talking about those today,” he said postgame.

Another storm came a year earlier when Bennett collided with Bruins captain Brad Marchand during the 2024 playoffs, many claimed it was a deliberate punch to Marchand’s head. Though replays were debated endlessly, Maurice once again jumped in, calling the reaction a media exaggeration and framing the hit as “There’s been lots of energy with this, lots of coverage, and I think you’ve lost your minds on it, which is fine, you have that right. We’ve been a very disciplined, very composed team..” Adding fuel to the fire, in a March 2025 game, Bennett was caught on camera throwing punches at Nikita Zadorov while the latter was already restrained by officials.

The move was labeled “cowardly” by fans on Reddit and X. Maurice, once again, offered no public criticism of his player but simply ignore it. These repeated incidents have drawn criticism toward Maurice, too, with many asking if he’s enabling reckless play. But honestly? Maurice hasn’t flinched. He’s stood by Sam Bennett every time, no matter how messy it got. It’s the kind of loyalty that’s hard to miss, even if not everyone understands it.