Sam Bennett

Sam Bennett

28-Year-Old Left WingLW
Florida Panthers
2024 Fantasy Outlook
Bennett notched 20 goals and 41 points in 69 regular-season appearances during the 2023-24 campaign. He also picked up seven goals and seven helpers in 19 playoff games en route to helping Florida capture the Stanley Cup. Bennett has reached the 40-point plateau in three straight campaigns but still hasn't reached the 50-point mark in his career. The 28-year-old forward offers plenty of physicality, as evidenced by his career highs of 100 PIM and 173 hits from 2023-24. He is also capable of topping three shots per game, however, injuries and consistency issues frequently hold back his fantasy value. Bennett remains a solid late-round target for banger leagues. Fantasy managers in other formats may want to keep him on a watch list for a potential waiver pickup during stretches when he heats up offensively. Read Past Outlooks
$Signed a four-year, $17.7 million contract with the Panthers in July of 2021.
Lights lamp in fifth straight
LWFlorida Panthers
October 29, 2024
Bennett produced a power-play goal and an even-strength assist in Monday's 5-2 win over the Sabres.
ANALYSIS
The 28-year-old found the back of the net for the fifth straight game and the eighth time in 11 outings this season. Bennett appears locked into a spot in Florida's top six, and he's flying toward a career-best campaign with 12 points already, a pace that would shatter the mark of 49 points (28 goals, 21 assists) he amassed over 71 regular-season games in 2021-22.
Read More News
NHL Stats
Loading Skater Stats...
2024
2023
2022
2021
2020
2019
2018
2017
2016
2024 NHL Game Log
calculator icon
Calculate Stats Over Time
Just click on any two dates.
Scoring
FanDuel
DraftKings
Yahoo DFS
FantasyDraft
Head2Head
Loading Skater Game Log...
2023 NHL Game Log
calculator icon
Calculate Stats Over Time
Just click on any two dates.
Scoring
FanDuel
DraftKings
Yahoo DFS
FantasyDraft
Head2Head
Loading Skater Game Log...
2022 NHL Game Log
calculator icon
Calculate Stats Over Time
Just click on any two dates.
Scoring
FanDuel
DraftKings
Yahoo DFS
FantasyDraft
Head2Head
Loading Skater Game Log...
2021 NHL Game Log
calculator icon
Calculate Stats Over Time
Just click on any two dates.
Scoring
FanDuel
DraftKings
Yahoo DFS
FantasyDraft
Head2Head
Loading Skater Game Log...
2020 NHL Game Log
calculator icon
Calculate Stats Over Time
Just click on any two dates.
Scoring
FanDuel
DraftKings
Yahoo DFS
FantasyDraft
Head2Head
Loading Skater Game Log...
2019 NHL Game Log
calculator icon
Calculate Stats Over Time
Just click on any two dates.
Scoring
FanDuel
DraftKings
Yahoo DFS
FantasyDraft
Head2Head
Loading Skater Game Log...
2018 NHL Game Log
calculator icon
Calculate Stats Over Time
Just click on any two dates.
Scoring
FanDuel
DraftKings
Yahoo DFS
FantasyDraft
Head2Head
Loading Skater Game Log...
2017 NHL Game Log
calculator icon
Calculate Stats Over Time
Just click on any two dates.
Scoring
FanDuel
DraftKings
Yahoo DFS
FantasyDraft
Head2Head
Loading Skater Game Log...
2016 NHL Game Log
calculator icon
Calculate Stats Over Time
Just click on any two dates.
Scoring
FanDuel
DraftKings
Yahoo DFS
FantasyDraft
Head2Head
Loading Skater Game Log...
2024–25 Time On Ice Stats
  • Average Time On Ice:
    17:31
  • Average Power Play TOI:
    1:54
  • Average Short-Handed TOI:
    0:09
 
Ice Time
Power Play
Short-Handed
2022–23
17:24
2:06
1:15
2023–24
16:37
2:00
0:27
2024–25
17:31
1:54
0:09
Panthers Depth Chart
Our full team depth charts are reserved for RotoWire subscribers.
Subscribe Now
Panthers Power Play Depth Chart
Our full team depth charts are reserved for RotoWire subscribers.
Subscribe Now
Recent RotoWire Articles Featuring Sam Bennett See More
NHL DFS Picks: FanDuel Plays and Strategy for Monday, October 28
8 days ago
Sergei Bobrovsky has a 15-7-2 career record, including a couple of wins last season, versus the Sabres. He's one of Corey Abbott's top goalie options for Monday FanDuel NHL DFS contests.
Past Fantasy Outlooks
2023
2022
2021
2020
2019
2018
2017
2016
2015
2014
Bennett produced his second straight 40-point campaign last year, but his goal total dropped to 16 after pocketing 28 during the 2021-22 season. His 8.3 shooting percentage was the second-lowest he's registered during his nine-year NHL career. Bennett missed 18 of the final 25 games of the regular season but bounced back with 15 points in 20 postseason contests. The 27-year-old enters the 2023-24 season as Florida's second-line center and will likely have star winger Matthew Tkachuk by his side again. Assuming that line holds for most of the year and he can stay on the ice, Bennett has a strong chance at his first 50-point output while adding plenty of grit.
The No. 4 overall selection in the 2014 draft, Bennett failed to find his form six-plus seasons with the Flames, but a trade to the Panthers in April 2021 has given him new life. Bennett recently completed his first full season with Florida, finishing with career-best marks in goals (28), assists (21), points (49), plus-minus rating (plus-27), shots on goal 241 and power-play points (9). Bennett averaged nearly two minutes more of ice time per game (16:57) than any prior year in 2021-22, so it doesn't come as a surprise that his production rose as a result. What we saw from Bennett last year may very well represent his long-term ceiling, but there's mid-round value here.
Bennett had been on the trade block for months before the Flames finally dealt him to Panthers in April. The former No. 4 overall pick (2014) exploded upon his arrival in South Florida, posting 15 points (and a plus-12 rating) in 10 games with his new club before adding five points in five playoff contests. The Panthers, clearly believing what they saw was not a fluke, then handed Bennett a new four-year, $17.7 million contract. It would obviously be a steal for Florida if Bennett keeps up that type of production, but this is a player who struggled to score his entire career prior to the trade. Florida's acquisition of Sam Reinhart could further serve to reduce Bennett's role. There's theoretical upside here, but you're likely better off letting another team take the plunge on draft day.
Bennett lost a month of last season to an upper-body injury and finished with only 12 points in 52 games, both career-low marks for the 24-year-old forward. He did, however, go on to compile eight points in 10 postseason contests. Fantasy managers shouldn't expect a late-bloomer breakout season for the fourth overall pick from 2014, which gives Bennett only limited usefulness in standard formats. The Ontario native shouldn't be counted on for more than 30 points in a full season, but he should chip in with roughly two hits per game while registering robust totals in shots on goal and PIM. If he can recapture his playoff form, Bennett may earn more attention, but regular-season success has been fleeting for him thus far in his career.
Bennett registered 13 goals and 27 points while racking up 121 hits and a career-high 93 PIM in 71 games last year. The versatile third-liner has struggled to replicate the 36-point season he had as a rookie, but he has consistently eclipsed the 10-goal, 25-point mark over the past three campaigns. A leap forward in offensive production in his fifth season is possible, but Bennett's physicality alone makes him worthy of a late-round pick in deeper formats that count hits.
For the second consecutive season, Bennett finished with 26 points, totaling 11 goals and 15 points in 2017-18. It's not a great number for the 22-year-old winger, given that he posted 18 goals and 36 points in his 2015-16 rookie campaign. Drafted fourth overall in 2014, Calgary was certainly hoping for some more offensive production out of the Ontario native. Bennett did improve in some areas, however, setting new career highs with 140 hits and 157 shots on net. Bennett is in the final year of his contract, so there should be no lack of motivation on his end. While fantasy owners should exercise caution, he could be worthy of a late-round flier.
Now three years removed from being the fourth overall pick in the 2014 NHL Draft, Bennett has still not blossomed into the player the Flames thought they were getting. The 21-year-old took a step back in 2016-17, posting a troubling 26 points -- 10 fewer than his rookie season -- while also doubling his penalty minutes from the season prior (to 75). While that all looks bad, the Flames have certainly not given up on their young forward, as they chose to protect him from selected in the 2017 NHL Expansion Draft. The numbers suggest that Bennett is a risky pick for prospective fantasy owners, and he'll need to impress mightily in order to break into a top-six role, but his raw talent and pedigree make him a player to watch for signs of a breakout.
As Bennett enters his age-20 season, he presents an intriguing quandary for fantasy owners. On the one hand, he lacks the buzz he should have as the No. 4 pick in the draft just two years ago, making him relatively easy to acquire; on the other hand, he’s stuck in the role of third-line center for the Flames, limiting his upside. Because of that limited opportunity, it’s entirely possible that this season sees Bennett simply make minor refinements to his game, ending up right around (perhaps slightly above) his rookie year’s 36 points while contributing double-digit points on the power play. That would make him worth owning in deeper formats, but he’s still out on the fringes in standard leagues. That said, Bennett is a future star, while second-line pivot Mikael Backlund may be better suited to the third unit; if the two end up flip-flopping, that’d be a huge boost for Bennett’s value. He’s also a less-than-studly faceoff man, and if he can’t address that, it’s not impossible that Bennett – who’s played both center and wing already in the NHL – ends up back on the flank, which might provide him another avenue into the top six.
Bennett is looking to make the leap to the NHL in 2015-16. He has just 12 NHL games under his belt, 11 of which came in the postseason. But he’s a blue-chip prospect with speed, smarts, and an elite net-front presence, and at this point, he’s proven he’s too good for junior hockey. Additionally, Bennett is not yet eligible to play in the AHL, so barring a brutal training camp, he’ll be suiting up for the Flames this season. He could even see time as the team’s second-line center, although he’ll need to beat out the likes of Mikael Backlund, Josh Jooris, and Matt Stajan for the job. Scratch that -- it’s not really a competition, now is it? He won’t deliver like Johnny Gaudreau did in his rookie year, but it's not difficult to envision a scenario where he provides 40 points. Just remember -- he hasn’t played much hockey at all in about 12 months, courtesy of a shoulder injury. Fatigue could play a factor at some point.
Bennett is a chippy and explosive offensive center who has a holster full of pro-level skills. His release is like a rocket, which makes his wrister a lethal weapon. He can blow past defenders wide. His vision on the ice is so good it seems like he really does have eyes in the back of his head. He loves to drive the net and he can change the outcome of a game on any given shift. And to top it off, he plays a remarkable 200-foot game, something that young players can sometimes forget. Bennett was one of the most exciting players in the 2014 NHL Entry Draft and he’s going to bring some gritty razzle-dazzle to Calgary. He’ll be a big-game player once he matures. But he needs to pack some pounds onto his 176-pound frame to withstand the grind of the NHL. He’ll be a top-line, offensive center, but that won’t be for a few seasons.
More Fantasy News
Extends scoring streak Saturday
LWFlorida Panthers
October 27, 2024
Bennett notched a goal, two penalty minutes, five hits and a blocked shot in Saturday's 6-3 win over the Islanders.
ANALYSIS
Subscribe now to instantly reveal our take on this news.
Goals in three straight games
LWFlorida Panthers
October 25, 2024
Bennett scored a goal on three shots and went plus-2 in Thursday's 3-1 win over the Rangers.
ANALYSIS
Subscribe now to instantly reveal our take on this news.
Nets lone goal in loss
LWFlorida Panthers
October 23, 2024
Bennett scored a goal on four shots, added four PIM and levied four hits in Tuesday's 5-1 loss to the Wild.
ANALYSIS
Subscribe now to instantly reveal our take on this news.
Two-point performance in OT win
LWFlorida Panthers
October 20, 2024
Bennett scored a power-play goal and added an even-strength assist in Saturday's 4-3 overtime win over the Golden Knights. He also recorded five shots, three hits and a plus-1 rating.
ANALYSIS
Subscribe now to instantly reveal our take on this news.
Puts six shots on net
LWFlorida Panthers
October 14, 2024
Bennett recorded a team-high six shots in a 4-3 victory over Boston on Monday but failed to find the back of the net.
ANALYSIS
Subscribe now to instantly reveal our take on this news.
Latest Fantasy Rumors
Returning within a week?
LWFlorida Panthers
November 10, 2023
Bennett is expected to return from a lower-body injury within a week, according to Jameson Olive of the Panthers' official site.
ANALYSIS
Coach Paul Maurice stated, "We're now in a 10-day window where we're probably going to see these guys back," referring to Bennett and Brandon Montour, who's recovering from offseason shoulder surgery. Maurice said that he thought the two players could return at the end of the California trip which would make Nov. 16 in LA or the following night in Anaheim as the target dates to return. Bennett has only played in one game this season.
See All NHL Rumors