The Florida Panthers have been the dominant ones so far. With a commanding 3–0 lead in the Eastern Conference Finals, Game 4, played at their home arena in Sunrise, Florida, proved to turn the tables upside down for the Red and Blue while the Carolina Hurricanes stole the spotlight by winning 3–0. “I am exceptionally happy with the learning opportunity. I’m not screwing around with you. There are consistent things in games that we don’t love, and you cannot eradicate those,” said the Panthers’ HC. While Paul Maurice kind of seemed relieved, the team’s forward, Sam Bennett, had crucial things to reveal.

Perhaps what added to the spark was Frederik Andersen guarding the net with 20 saves made while the Panthers missed the charm without key forward Sam Reinhart, sidelined due to injury. Call it a reminder that no lead is safe in playoff hockey, but this battle was far from being over until the final buzzer sounded. And Bennett thought it was the lack of energy that didn’t allow the Panthers to hold the game in their favor!

In a post-match interview, the Panthers’ star forward opened up about the first loss against the Canes in the Conference Finals and expressed his concerns.
“Uh, I think just a little jump I think we were a little hesitant tonight. The last three games we were aggressive, we had more more pace for a game, more jump, and I think just a little. Sitting back a little bit tonight,” Bennett said.

While the Hurricanes played their way out, Florida struggled to find their rhythm for nearly the entire 60 minutes! And boom—Carolina applied relentless pressure and grew stronger as the game progressed. Because hey, the Panthers simply appeared hesitant and disconnected in sharp contrast to the earlier dominant performances in the first three games.

And fast forward to Game 5, the Canes’ penalty kill was flawless, not only neutralising all four of the Panthers’ power plays but also generating offensive pressure with four shots on goal during those kills. Hence, to say that the Panthers were completely unable to create the offence and the Hurricanes just cleaned up their previous mistakes. Talk about defending with full urgency and the Canes blocked all 15 shots, meanwhile making the Cats fumble altogether on home ice. While Bennett did step forward to voice what many had witnessed on the ice, there is also questions and concerns regarding the star player’s trade with the Panthers.

Sam Bennett has some new updates for his trade with Panthers

There has been a noticeable dip in energy, or maybe the energy too. And thus, speaking candidly, Bennett did admit what the team lacked for their usual jump. While it has been his quiet revelation of the internal drop-off  on the ice, off the ice, however, it’s  Bennett’s future that remains a hot topic. But what led the speculations to turn on?

Well, with NHL free agency drama looming and TSN ranking him as the No. 2 free agent behind Mitch Marner, NHL insider Elliotte Friedman recently revealed on a podcast that while both the Panthers and Bennett want to stay together, the business side of hockey might complicate that hope. After all, it has been through three intense playoff rounds that Sam Bennett’s efforts helped keep the Panthers in strong contention for a second consecutive Stanley Cup, but again, Game 4 told a different story.

Were the Panthers outshot with the Hurricanes bringing structure, pressure, and timely penalty kills to Sunrise? Let’s face it, Florida couldn’t find answers offensively, and their defensive gaps gave Carolina the edge. Hence, Bennett’s admission, though very subtle but significant, reflected a veteran’s ability to diagnose what went wrong. Now, doesn’t that make the market value rise between $6.6 and $8 million a year? Well, performances like these, despite any win or loss, indeed continue to shape the narrative around leadership and worth.