Sam Bennett's 'Preference' Could Impact His Free Agent Market originally appeared on Athlon Sports. Florida Panthers forward Sam Bennett has dominated this postseason, and interest in the pending free agent is rising by the day.

As Sam Bennett’s playoff lore continues to grow with each playoff goal scored, his pending free agency only grows more fascinating. On the one hand, you have a soon-to-be 29-year-old second-line center — a decent one that plays with an edge and has scored at a 53-point pace since joining the Florida Panthers.

The Florida Panthers are just one win away from repeating as Stanley Cup champions. After an impressive performance in Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final against the Edmonton Oilers, Florida will have a chance to win the Cup at home.

In a single shift, Florida Panthers forward Sam Bennett showed why he's been one of the most unstoppable players in the Stanley Cup playoffs. In Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final, Bennett knocked Vasily Podkolzin off his feet with a huge hit in the defensive zone,

One shift in Game 3 encapsulated everything that the veteran center can do on the ice. Here's how he got here.

Sam Bennett has made NHL general managers everywhere go, Hell yeah, that's the kind of guy we need in the playoffs. Bennett is now the favorite to win the Conn Smythe Trophy, and why shouldn't he be?

Bennett scored the dagger in the Panthers' 6-1 victory in Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final, pushing Florida two game from winning it's second consecutive title.

It seems like every breath Sam Bennett takes earns him another dollar right now. The Florida Panthers center, 28, is competing in his third consecutive Stanley Cup Final, this time doing so as a pending unrestricted free agent,

Bennett had the kind of shift in Game 3’s victory on Monday that tells the larger Panthers’ story. It’s as much the moment of this series as Panthers forward Brad Marchand’s breakaway goal to win Game 2, defenseman Aaron Ekblad’s hit that sent Connor McDavid spinning to the ice or McDavid’s brilliant “walk-on-water toe tap,’’ as Ekblad called it.

The Florida Panthers have a chance to repeat as Stanley Cup champions, with plenty of help coming from center Sam