Sam Bennett has won the 2025 Conn Smythe Trophy as the MVP of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Bennett was a force for the Panthers all postseason, and his 15 postseason goals led the league.
Bennett’s win marks the first time a Panther has won the Conn Smythe Trophy despite their Cup win in 2024. Last year, Connor McDavid became just the sixth player ever to win the award as a member of the losing team.
With the Panthers marching to their second consecutive Stanley Cup victory, there were plenty of worthy Conn Smythe candidates, but Bennett stood out among the rest. Few players have the ability to elevate their game in the playoffs quite like Bennett, and he showed that this spring.
The 2024-25 campaign was the first time Bennett ever broke 50 points in the regular season, and he’s never scored more than 28 goals in a single season. He got more than halfway to that number in just 23 games this postseason.
Bennett made an impact in every series, scoring no fewer than three goals in each round while also tormenting teams in their own barn. Thirteen of his 15 goals came on the road, which is an NHL playoffs record.
Bennett was a particularly sharp thorn in the side of the Oilers with five goals and one assist in the Stanley Cup Final.
That offensive consistency, combined with Bennett’s defensive prowess, made him the key cog in Florida’s championship defense. Despite taking on tough matchups every night, Bennett’s five-on-five performance was off the charts. The Panthers outscored opponents 17-11 and owned a 59.5% expected goals share with Bennett on the ice in those situations.
There may be no better example of Bennett’s impact than his heroic shift in Game 3 of the Final. He started the play with a thunderous hit on the defensive end and finished it with a gorgeous deke on the offensive end.
Bennett is set to become a free agent on July 1, and his résumé suddenly has a couple more eye-popping bullet points on it. A two-time Cup champion and Conn Smythe Trophy winner can command a high price on the open market, assuming Bennett gets there. The Panthers have a couple of weeks to work out a new deal with Bennett before other teams can make their pitches.
This news was originally published on this post .
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