Blues Top Free Agent Target Should Be Panthers Center, Only At The Right Price

[TBone]

Blues Top Free Agent Target Should Be Panthers Center, Only At The Right Price

Lou Korac
Hockey News
Jun 2, 2025

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A lot has been made of one particular potential UFA, who is a bit pre-ooccupied these days getting ready for the Stanley Cup Final in search of back-to-back titles, and for me, he would be at the top of my picks for Armstrong and Blues brass to target, and that's Florida Panthers center Sam Bennett. But there's one caveat to it all.

There have been reports circulating that the 28-year-old (29 when next season starts), who had a regular-season career-high 26 assists and 51 points this past season, his 10th full one in the NHL, could receive offers -- should he hit the market -- upwards of $10 million per season on a new contract. If that's the case, thanks but no thanks.

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Say what you will, and we will see should Bennett hits the market who will be interested and how much they're willing to pay, the Blues should definitely be among those, and I'm willing to give him Schenn's contract ($6.5 million average annual value) for seven years all day, any day, and I'd be willing to go as high as seven years, $49 million ($7 million AAV) with a full no trade clause if that's the sweetener needed and that's as high as I'd go.

If Bennett would be sold on St. Louis, and he has the right see the price go as high as can be, that would be my floor and ceiling. Our friends at capwages.com have a projected cap hit and term for Bennett at six years, $6,637,250 million AAV which is very comparable and fair; it falls into the window I think the Blues would be interested in and would mark a significant raise after Bennett finished a four-year, $4.425 million AAV he just finished with the Panthers.

https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/st-louis- ... ight-price

[smilinjoefission]

He's gonna get serious $$$ because he's a full on post season stud and someone will overpay just for that.

[theograce]

I haven’t seen a Bennett thread lately

Schenn makes 6.5 or so?

Why would he do that with the cap going up? To play in STL?

That’s funny

[somni]

Sam Bennett free agency reminds me of Bobby Holik signing with the Rangers in 2002 (5 year - $45M). How will Sam Bennett be without a well put together Panthers team

[theograce]

Sam Bennett free agency reminds me of Bobby Holik signing with the Rangers in 2002 (5 year - $45M). How will Sam Bennett be without a well put together Panthers team

The same as he’s always been his entire life … a big game player that alters outcomes in multiple ways.

He was better than the Tkachuks for Canada

Nothing like Holik

[leedog68]

He will get way more than 7 x 7 and if the Blues cough up what it will take this board will be calling it an albatross by year 3.

[MiamiLaw]

I’m a big fan but I don’t think he’s a realistic target. Assuming he would want to sign in STL at all, it won’t be at a discount and I don’t see his contract aging particularly well. I could definitely see Toronto making a play

[theograce]

I’m a big fan but I don’t think he’s a realistic target. Assuming he would want to sign in STL at all, it won’t be at a discount and I don’t see his contract aging particularly well. I could definitely see Toronto making a play

Winning cups on a beach in Florida or living in stl getting underpaid

The OP cracks me up

[STL fan in MN]

So Lou says we should sign Bennett…as long as he’ll take the Schenn contract. Riiight. I can guarantee you he’s already turned down more than the Schenn contract from the Panthers already.

It’s going to be a hard adjustment for some. The cap was $80M when Schenn signed his contract. It’s $95.5M now. Back then, his cap hit took up 7.98% of the cap. In today’s dollars that’s $7.62M. Bennett is also much much more desirable than Schenn was back then. Right or wrong, he’s not signing for anything close to the Schenn contract. This is lazy and/or delusional writing.

[rezero]

Bennett should be a hard pass....hard pass!

He is expecting $8-10M which is simply not justified. The salary cap is going up, and free agency changes the contractual landscape, but it remains challenging at best to justify elevating Bennett to that portion of the upper echelon. He won’t come close to living up to those expectations. He hasn’t reached the 30-goal plateau in any of his previous 11 NHL seasons, and he had a career-high 51 points (25 goals, 26 assists) across 76 appearances in 2024-25.

People will pay for Bennett's playoff results only to realize the bought fools gold and they signed a player who scored 30-40pts in a season for the money that the top 20 centers in the league are currently earning. If he scored at his 11-year average of 29pts in a season, it would make him the 290th highest scoring player in the NHL in 2025.

His physicality makes him an attractive option, but Max Pacioretty had 38 hits and more points than Bennett in the series. Pacioretty also had a cap hit of $873,770.

[rezero]

In the last 11 seasons, Schenn has outscored Bennett (on a lower scoring team) in all but one season and that was this year where Bennett scored 51pts to Schenn's 50. People are judging Bennett on a few playoff games, but he disappears for months during the season. Bennett would be a travesty at $8+M/yr as there are far better options that have similar play for half that amount.

[rezero]

Sam Bennett free agency reminds me of Bobby Holik signing with the Rangers in 2002 (5 year - $45M). How will Sam Bennett be without a well put together Panthers team

The same as he was in Calgary. A 20-30pt 3rd liner.

[JoshInFenton]

He'll make 9M/7 or 9.5-10/6 given the cap going up and the likelihood that he'll be one of the top guys after a certain 1 or 2 players exit the market.

I surprisingly don't hate the idea of signing him for ~9-9.5m. the problem is my deal i'd sign him to would only net him 36-38M, because i'd not be interested in buying into the later years at that number. Therein lies the problem with every FA. Even if you can stomach a high value per year, it's never going to really make sense on the term.

as to why, his postseason play is something that not every player does. Some guys just have that gear that makes them a force in the playoffs, and i fully believe that a guy like that is sometimes worth more than his regular season stats say he should be worth. But again, no 5th year, no 6th year, no 7th year from me at more than 4-5M per on the value there. So he'd never take my deal

[theograce]

His physicality makes him an attractive option, but Max Pacioretty had 38 hits and more points than Bennett in the series. Pacioretty also had a cap hit of $873,770.

Hyman was much more impactful than Thomas or Kyrou while being as or more productive

Play that game all day

[theograce]

In the last 11 seasons, Schenn has outscored Bennett (on a lower scoring team) in all but one season and that was this year where Bennett scored 51pts to Schenn's 50. People are judging Bennett on a few playoff games, but he disappears for months during the season. Bennett would be a travesty at $8+M/yr as there are far better options that have similar play for half that amount.

Disappears…you don’t watch them much hey?

Team Canada picked him because he’s inconsistent? That’s what you’re saying?

[skilles]

If you want to win Stanly cups you have to find and acquire guys that are going to be the next Sam Bennett....Which in the Blues defense they may well have done some of that with Holloway and Broberg.