Sam Bennett Signing 8-Year, $64 Million Contract Extension with Panthers Has Fans HYPED up on Social Media: “Retire the Jersey Number Now”

Sam Bennett, the 2025 Stanley Cup playoffs MVP, signed an 8-year, $64 million contract extension with the Florida Panthers on Friday.

Sam Bennett Signing 8-Year, $64 Million Contract Extension with Panthers Has Fans HYPED up on Social Media: “Retire the Jersey Number Now”

Sam Bennett (Image via X/@GinoHard_)

Sam Bennett is not going anywhere. The 2025 Stanley Cup playoffs MVP on Friday signed an 8-year, $64 million contract extension with the Florida Panthers and will remain with the team.

On Friday, President of Hockey Operations and General Manager Bill Zito, informed that the team had reached an agreement with Bennett over a contract extension. The 29-year-old will have an Average Annual Value (AAV) of $8 million.

The Canadian international has been one of the top members of the Panthers organization. During the playoffs this year, he was one of those who stepped up and delivered some crucial moments for his team.

Bennett finished with 15 goals in the playoffs this year, the most by any player. Along with 7 assists, he capped off the playoffs with 22 points as the Panthers went back-to-back and defeated the Edmonton Oilers once again. He was later named as the Conn Smythe Trophy winner, an honor is given to the MVP of the playoffs.

He was in the final year of his contract and would have become an Unrestricted Free Agent (UFA) if he had not reached an agreement before the end of this month. Recently, the center player dropped an NSFW message during the Cup celebrations and made it clear that he was not leaving. It is now official. The Panthers have locked him down to a massive 8-year, $64 million deal.

After re-signing with the Panthers, GM Bill Zito lauded him and called him a “special” player for the Panthers organization.

Sam is a special player who has mastered a unique blend of skill and physicality in his game, becoming one of the most impactful postseason performers of his generation. He played an integral role in our two Stanley Cup championships, earning the franchise’s first Conn Smythe Trophy and is a dedicated contributor to our South Florida community off the ice. We are thrilled that he will continue his career with the Panthers.

Social media reacts to Sam Bennett re-signing with the Florida Panthers

Sam Bennett played an important part in the Florida Panthers going back-to-back and winning 2 successive Stanley Cups. He was one of the players, the Panthers fans were hoping the team to re-sign.

Sam Bennett
Sam Bennett (Image via X/@FlaPanthers)

The wish of the Panthers fans has come true. While reacting to this on X, several of them were left hyped up. One user wrote, “retire the jersey number now” while being seemingly delighted with the news. There were some mixed reactions from neutral fans as well.

Check out that and some other reactions regarding this development below:

Speaking of the 2024-25 season, Bennett set a career high in assists (26), points (51), and power-play goals (7). His 25 goals were the 2nd most by a Panthers star, only bettered by Sam Reinhart, who scored 39 times in the regular season.

Sam Bennett reacts on re-signing with Panthers

Sam Bennett has been in full party mode since the Florida Panthers clinched their 2nd straight Stanley Cup. On Friday, he put pen to paper on an 8-year deal with the team. After his re-signing, he dropped a unique reaction on Instagram.

Sam Bennett
Sam Bennett (Image via X/@NHLPA)

A few days ago, Bennett had dropped an NSFW message by channeling his inner-Jordan Belfort from The Wolf of Wall Street movie and claimed that he was not leaving the team. Following his new deal, he would take to his Instagram account and share that iconic scene of Leonardo DiCaprio from the 2013 movie.

Bennett had also previously defended his team from the critics. He would drop another NSFW message while hitting back at those who criticized the playing style of the team.

The Panthers will now turn their attention towards the others. Brad Marchand and Aaron Ekblad are the two stars the team is keen on re-signing. Only time will tell what moves the team will make regarding them.

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