Earlier tonight, Nick Kypreos released his first trade board of the season. Many of the names listed have been floated around this season already– Alexandre Carrier, Rasmus Ristolainen, and Chris Kreider– but the headliner of this particular piece is completely off the board.
The first player named on this trade board is Sam Bennett of the Florida Panthers. Kypreos writes that since Bennett is a pending Unrestricted Free Agent, Panthers General Manager Bill Zito may opt to trade him rather than lose him for nothing in the offseason.
The Panthers should not, under any circumstances, trade Sam Bennett.
I know, I know. Losing a potentially valuable trade piece to Free Agency would be a backbreaker. Bennett’s value is at an all-time high. He’s currently fourth on the team in scoring with 26 points in 28 games. His 13 goals on the season are the second-most on the team. He’s coming off of a postseason where he had 14 points in 19 games. If the Panthers decide to trade him, there will be no shortage of suitors looking to start a bidding war.
But make no mistake: if the Florida Panthers trade Sam Bennett, they’re essentially throwing in the towel on the season. If the Panthers want a shot at repeating as Stanley Cup Champions, they’ll need Sam Bennett.
Bennett might be overachieving this season in the points column, but he brings so much more to this Panthers team than offense. He brings physicality, he brings grit, and he brings passion. Bennett has 65 hits on the season, which is third on the team. He’s blocked 21 shots, and he averages 17:11 of ice time a night.
The Panthers have a very good third-line center in Anton Lundell, but I have my doubts about Lundell’s ability to step into Bennett’s role. Oh, Lundell would produce just fine– he was Florida’s first-line center for a stretch earlier in the season when Captain Aleksander Barkov was injured– and he’s very good defensively. But Sam Bennett has a way of getting under opponents’ skin like very few can. He can drag his team into the fight, and he isn’t afraid to get dirty along the way. His ability to screen– or lightly interfere with– the opposing team’s goalie is invaluable to this Panthers team.
So, to summarize… no. No, the Florida Panthers should not trade Sam Bennett. Not if they want another shot at the title.
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