Sam Bennett Signs Cap-Friendly Extension With the Florida Panthers: Maple Leafs Should Take Notes

The anticipation around where Sam Bennett is going to sign this summer is officially over, as the Florida Panthers have re-signed the gritty forward to an eight-year, $64-million deal on Friday.

It's a stunning turnaround that sees the free agent market lose one of its premier players, and assures the Panthers keep at least one part of the three-headed monster of Bennett, Aaron Ekblad and Brad Marchand.

The deal is also a very cheap deal all things considered, as Bennett could have potentially earned upwards of $10-million per season on his next deal.

Bennett, 29, had 51 points in 76 games for the Panthers, but came alive in the postseason with 22 points in 23 games (15G, 7A) while also winning the Conn Smythe as playoff MVP.

The extension comes the same day as the Maple Leafs extended John Tavares for four years at a $4.38-million cap hit as teams are finding themselves in crunch time when it comes to free agency; it's only four days away.

Speaking of the Maple Leafs, they lose out on adding the best center in free agency, and someone who would have been a huge boost not only in the playoffs, but give Toronto that identity change they so desperately desire.

However this does set some precedent, as the team has a general idea of the cost to sign either Ekblad or Marchand, and knowing it'll take at least $8-million to convince them; it at least gives them a starting point.

But it also tells Toronto that they may need to overpay in order to bring in what they need to make those changes they want, so Brad Treliving is going to have to prioritize which free agent to go after, plus making sure Matthew Knies is locked up long-term.

For now though, it seems like Bennett is going to be lounging in the Sunshine State, perhaps for the rest of his career.