The Toronto Maple Leafs have a very crucial summer ahead of them. With the futures of some Core Four members in limbo, and former team President Brendan Shanahan gone, the Leafs are in uncharted waters. But fear not, there could be an answer, or at least part of one, to the Leafs’ current curmudgeon: UFA centre Sam Bennett.
Before diving into why Bennett would be a good fit for the Leafs, there are a couple of things that may need to happen to justify and allow a Bennett signing. The first is that Mitch Marner ends up signing elsewhere in free agency, and the second is that John Tavares either also signs elsewhere or is brought back to Toronto on a hometown discount. If both do end up leaving this summer, the Leafs will have over $22M in cap space that can be used to sign Bennett and perhaps even more.
The centre hole is filled
As the Leafs currently sit, they need better centre options. Many thought that trading for Scott Laughton to pair with Tavares at the 2025 trade deadline would fill some of that void for the Leafs, but the 30-year-old was basically a non-factor, picking up a mere two assists and zero goals, to go along with a minus-3 rating, through 13 playoff games. His regular season numbers weren’t any better, putting up two goals and four points in his 20 appearances with the Leafs after being traded from Philadelphia.
If Marner leaves and Tavares sticks around, Bennett quite handily could fill that third-line centre void for the Leafs. If Bennett proves to be the better option, he could even move up to the second line, and if Tavares leaves in free agency, Bennett could seamlessly slot in his place, providing a more physical presence.
Tavares did have the better regular season (38 goals and 74 points in 75 games) compared to Bennett (25 goals and 51 points in 76 games), but Bennett has the championship pedigree on his side (more on that later) and he better fits the team’s timeline at 28 years old, whereas Tavares is set to turn 35 in September. With stars like Auston Matthews (27 years old) and William Nylander (29 years old), Bennett simply fits better. We’re not saying the Leafs should just let Tavares walk based on age, but if he does leave, Bennett could potentially fill the void well.
Champion aura and physical presence
Much to the chagrin of Leafs Nation, the team hasn’t made it past the second round since 2002. They came close this year, but fell one win short to Bennett’s Florida Panthers in Game 7 of Round 2. While that wound may still be fresh, Bennett’s championship pedigree can’t be denied, as he and the Panthers have appeared in the last two Stanley Cup finals, won the 2024 Cup and are now headed back to the final this year as well.
Bennett wasn’t the Conn Smythe winner in either of their finals appearances, but his playoff stats are solid to say the least, putting up five goals and 10 points in 20 games in 2023, seven goals and 14 points in 19 games in 2024, and this postseason, Bennett already has 10 goals and 16 points in 17 games. He is a key cog in the Panthers’ winning system, and the Leafs need consistency like that as they look to go on a serious playoff run finally.
Additionally, Bennett is a very physical player. While he has earned a somewhat negative reputation for injuring others, as the Leafs saw when he elbowed goaltender Anthony Stolarz in the head, he plays with true grit, as evidenced by his 86 hits in the playoffs thus far—the second-highest total in the league. His physicality could complement a Leafs team that already showed improvement in that department this past season.
A steep cost
Bennett’s previous contract was a four-year deal with an annual cap hit of $4.425M per season, so the Leafs will need to give him a decent raise on that if they want any hope of prying him away from Florida. But if the stars line up right and the Leafs have the cap space, a Bennett signing could be just what the doctor ordered to provide some added juice to the Blue and White.
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