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On the eve of the regular season's start on Oct. 9, the Florida Panthers made headlines by announcing the extension of forward Carter Verhaeghe to an eight-year, $7 million AAV contract . That only left two other superstar Panthers pending inking new deals with free agency coming quickly and both of them playing through the final seasons of their contracts: defenseman Aaron Ekblad and forward Sam Bennett.
For now, Ekblad is earning $7.5 million while Bennett carries a cap hit of $4.43 million, and according to NHL insider Pierre LeBrun , the GM of the Panthers will need to ask them to lower their salary demands next summer if they want to stay in Florida.
On Saturday's edition of "Saturday Headlines," Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman calmed antsy Panthers fans when he reported that the franchise has already begun negotiations with center Bennett on a new contract extension. Jim Rassol-Imagn Images “(The Panthers) have begun negotiations with another very important piece of their roster, Sam Bennett," Friedman said. "Now, there is nothing to report at this point in time in terms of being close to a deal or anything like that, but this is one (development) a lot of teams around the league will be looking at.
" While nothing has been finalized, this early effort shows how important Bennett is to Florida’s plans moving forward following their Stanley Cup-winning season in 2024. Bennett, an integral part of the Panthers’ core, is expected to draw significant interest from around the league if he hits the open market because of what he brings to the table. “It’s very hard to find good centers, and Bennett is a good center, a big piece of that team," Friedman said.
Saturday Headlines: Bennett/Demidov/Nichushkin/New NHL Awards format https://t.co/TqYm7lhl81 The insider also quoted "several people" telling him there is "the ability to make a deal" soon, although he made clear "nothing is done until it's done and we'll see where it goes from here." Friedman added that teams remain on high alert just in case Bennett ultimately becomes a free agent on July 1, 2025.
"Lots of teams watching to see if Bennett hits the open market," Friedman said. Back to LeBrun's earlier report and conversation with Panthers GM Barry Zito, LeBrun mentioned that there is always a chance to keep the core intact although that'd depend on the players' willingness to do so. “It will be difficult, if not impossible, for the Panthers to keep their Stanley Cup-winning core together for much longer without some financial concessions,” LeBrun said.
“If Bennett and Ekblad want to stay on the Stanley Cup champions, they’re going to have to take less than market value. "That’s been communicated.” The Panthers have started the 2024-25 regular season as strong as they finished last year, winning four of seven games and posting a 4-2-1 record earning them 9 points through Sunday's matchups.
Related: Panthers Sign Carter Verhaeghe to Longest Possible Contract.
