Sam Bennett Sends Clear Message to Kent Hughes, the Canadiens, and the Entire League
Photo credit: Sergei Belski-Imagn Images
He's been absolutely impressive in this Stanley Cup Final, and truthfully, he's been outstanding all season long and throughout the playoffs.
A dominant second-line center, physical, with incredible character and a knack for elevating his game in big moments.. Let's just say that could be extremely valuable for the Canadiens.
But does Kent Hughes actually have a real shot at signing him on July 1st?
Sam Bennett Sends a Pretty Clear Message to the Montreal Canadiens and Other Teams Looking to Sign Him This Summer
In short, Bennett seems to be saying, Thanks, but no thanks.
He wants to stay with the Florida Panthers - that's the decision he's made for now - and even if he absolutely had to leave.. the Montreal Canadiens would likely be far behind
the Toronto Maple Leafs in that race.
John Shannon on teams that want to pursue Sam Bennett as a free agent:
"Don't waste your time. He's going to play in one of two places: either Toronto or Sunrise, Florida.
That's it. That's his decision. He's not going to market the way other free agents do. He'll either be a Panther or a Maple Leaf."
David Pagnotta: "Sam Bennett prefers to stay in Florida" - The Fourth Period
So yes, the message is very clear, and we can probably forget about the idea of seeing Sam Bennett land in Montreal - even though he absolutely loved his time here during the Four Nations Face-Off.
In 22 playoff games, Bennett has tallied 22 points, including an impressive 15 goals. The Panthers currently lead the series 3-2 and are one win away from back-to-back Stanley Cups.
Previously on HabsFanatics
POLL |
JUIN 15 | 2910 ANSWERS Sam Bennett Sends Clear Message to Kent Hughes, the Canadiens, and the Entire League Would you give Sam Bennett 10 million per year for 6 or 7 years? |
Yes | 732 | 25.2 % |
No | 2178 | 74.8 % |
List of polls |