Sam Bennett won the Conn Smythe 2025 trophy as MVP of the Stanley Cup qualifiers. Bennett was a strength for the Panthers with any qualifying series, and his 15 goals in the playoffs led the League.
Bennett’s victory marked the first time that a panther won the Conn Smythe trophy despite his cup victory in 2024. Last year, Connor McDavid only became the sixth player to win the award as a member of the losing team.
With the panthers walking towards their second consecutive victory of the Stanley Cup, there were many worthy candidates Conn Smythe, but Bennett stood out among the others. Few players have the capacity to raise their game in the playoffs like Bennett, and he showed it this spring.
The 2024-25 campaign was the first time that Bennett exceeded 50 points in the regular season, and he never scored more than 28 goals in a single season. He managed to half this issue in just 23 games in the playoffs.
Bennett had an impact in each series, scoring no less than three goals at each turn while turning the teams in their own barn. Thirteen of his 15 goals came on the road, which represents a record for NHL qualifying series.
Bennett was a particularly sharpened thorn in the side of the oilers with five goals and aid to the Stanley Cup final.
This offensive coherence, combined with the defensive prowess of Bennett, made him the key cog of the defense of the Florida championship. Although he took difficult matches every evening, the performance of five against five from Bennett was out of the charts. The Panthers outstripped adversaries 17-11 and had a share of expected goals of 59.5% with Bennett on the ice in these situations.
There may be a better example of the impact of Bennett than his heroic change in match 3 of the final. He started the game with a thunderous blow on the defensive and finished it with a magnificent deke on the offensive side.
Bennett should become a free agent on July 1, and his curriculum vitae suddenly has some more breathtaking bullets on it. A double champion of the Cup and the winner of the Conn Smythe Trophy can control a high price on the free market, assuming that Bennett happens there. Panthers have a few weeks to conclude a new agreement with Bennett before the other teams can make their land.
