Insider: Sam Bennett Reportedly Eyeing Maple Leafs as Offseason Option
Photo credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images
According to NHL Insider John Shannon, Sam Bennett is open to playing for the Maple Leafs as a potential option as free agency opens up on July 1.
With all the talk about Sam Bennett's potential massive contract this summer, it seems that everyone under the sun wants a crack at the veteran forward who is potentially going to win his second straight Stanley Cup.
Not offensively a monster, Bennett is more than serviceable and seems to show up when it matters the most. He doesn't mind getting dirty and doing anything he can for the sake of the team.
Expected to be fought over heavily, according to NHL Insider John Shannon however; there's really no point for anyone but the Leafs and Panthers to approach him.
Sam Bennett Plays In Toronto Or Florida: John Shannon
Speaking on the Sekeres and Price Show, Shannon explained to host Matt Sekeres that Vancouver (the team Sekeres and Price cover) they shouldn't waste time trying to go after Sam Bennett:
Don't waste your time. Don't waste your time, he's going to play in two places next year. One of two: He's going to play in Toronto or he's going to play in Sunrise, Florida. That's it. That's his decision.
He's not going to market the other ways free agents go to market, He will go and play for the Panthers or the Maple Leafs, we just don't know where yet.
He's not going to market the other ways free agents go to market, He will go and play for the Panthers or the Maple Leafs, we just don't know where yet.
While that seems great news for the Maple Leafs fans who want to bring Bennett aboard after he dismantled the team twice already, there might be an issue with committing to him.
Is Sam Bennett The Right Choice?
On paper, Bennett makes a lot of sense.
He would be coming back home (roughly), he brings a new dynamic to the Leafs in terms of grit, physicality and aggressiveness and has a lot of familiarity with GM Brad Treliving; who drafted him.
But he also comes with never having more than 51 points in a season, a bidding war regardless of what Shannon thinks, and giving upwards of $9-10M per season with Connor McDavid waiting next year is a big risk.
Bennett certainly helps the top-six and gives Toronto a three-headed monster of Auston Matthews, Bennett, and a re-signed John Tavares but is that enough to win?
Toronto needs scoring, and as much as they would like to add Bennett, they could very well add two or three players this free agency with much higher upside for the same price.
If the team is looking to replace Marner, then Bennett isn't it from an offensive standpoint, and the rest of the roster doesn't give much hope outside of a few names.
Acquiring Bennett doesn't automatically mean a Conference Finals or Cup Finals appearance, and if he doesn't have the same chances as he does with Florida now; that contract looks like a dud, especially if they continue to fail in the postseason.
According to John Shannon, the Maple Leafs are one of the only places that Bennett wants to play next season.
The real question we need to ask is: Should he?
| POLL | ||
MAI 28 | 457 ANSWERS Insider: Sam Bennett Reportedly Eyeing Maple Leafs as Offseason Option Will the Maple Leafs sign Sam Bennett? | ||
| Yes | 201 | 44 % |
| No | 256 | 56 % |
| List of polls | ||
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