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Free Agent Targets: Sam Bennett is set to get paid (if he reaches the open market)
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Photo credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
Ryley Delaney
Jun 20, 2025, 08:00 EDTUpdated: Jun 20, 2025, 03:15 EDT
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The Calgary Flames have a chance to right a wrong.
This is Free Agent Targets, where we look at players the Flames could target when free agency opens on July 1, 2025. Last time we looked at a top-six winger in Nikolaj Ehlers.
On Tuesday, the Florida Panthers won their second consecutive Stanley Cup Final. Before the Cup was handed to captain Aleksander Barkov, former Calgary Flames forward Sam Bennett was named the Conn Smythe Trophy winner.
In April 2021, the Flames traded Bennett and a sixth-rounder in 2022 to the Panthers for Emil Heineman and a second-round pick. Heineman was eventually traded to the Montréal Canadiens in a package for Tyler Toffoli, while the second was traded for Calle Jarnkrok.
Bennett just so happens to be an unrestricted free agent in less than two weeks. The Panthers have $19 million in cap space (and the luxury of being in a tax-free state), but have two other important free agents to sign in Brad Marchand and Aaron Ekblad. And while Bennett proclaimed during a post-championship party at a Miami club on Thursday night that he was staying in Florida (caution: cussin’ in the linked video), it ain’t a done deal until a contract is locked in. It’s possible all three of them take a pay cut to run it back, but if Bennett reaches free agency, the Flames should be all over that.

Sam Bennett’s stats

Bennett was selected fourth overall in the 2014 draft by the Flames, one pick after Leon Draisaitl (who’s laughing now?). His career-best season was his rookie season, where he scored 18 goals and 36 points in 77 games. He reached the double-digit goal mark the next three seasons, with a solid playoff performance in 2020 when he scored five goals and eight points in 10 games. That said, a change of scenery was needed.
In his first full season with the Panthers in 2021-22, Bennett scored a career-best 28 goals and 49 points in 71 games, with a goal and five points in five post-season games. He followed that up with a 16-goal, 40-point season in 63 games in 2022-23, as the Panthers snuck into the post-season and went all the way to the Stanley Cup Finals as the eighth seed.
The 2023-24 season saw Bennett reach the 20-goal mark for the second time, scoring 20 goals and 41 points in 69 games. Moreover, the centre scored a career-high seven goals in the post-season, with 14 points to help the Panthers win their first Stanley Cup in franchise history.
That brings us to the 2024-25 season, where Bennett scored 25 goals and a career-high 51 points in 76 games. He was by far the best player in the post-season, scoring 15 goals and 22 points in 23 games, the second most goals in a post-season since 1997.

Sam Bennett’s contract outlook

According to AFPAnalytics, Bennett is projected to make $6.637 million on his next deal. That may not account for his incredible 15 goals and Conn Smythe trophy, as Matt Larkin of Daily Faceoff reported earlier this month, teams could go as high as $10 million for an annual salary.
It’s anyone’s best guess as to his next contract, but he could earn anywhere from $7 million to $10 million. The good news is that the Flames have a ton of cap room.

Is Sam Bennett a fit for the Flames

Bennett’s fit on the Flames depends on whether the Flames feel they’re ready to contend for a post-season spot or not. If so, adding a top-six forward who is coming off a Conn Smythe Trophy would be a great addition. Add the fact that the Flames have nearly $27 million in cap room, and they easily have enough to get it done.
They have a relationship with their former player, and while they failed to develop him into the player he eventually became, there doesn’t appear to be any bad blood between him and the organization.
That said, it’s a hard pitch for the Flames, considering Bennett has won back-to-back Stanley Cups. Although the Panthers have $19 million in cap space, they could realistically get him and Ekblad under contract. Even then, other contenders will certainly be interested in Bennett’s services.
Money talks though, and if the Flames outbid all other teams, there is a chance they can bring Bennett back for a second stint.
Ryley Delaney is a Nation Network writer for FlamesNation, Oilersnation, and Blue Jays Nation. She can be followed on Twitter @Ryley__Delaney.
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