Elliotte Friedman Reveals Frontrunner to Sign Sam Bennett This Offseason

The Florida Panthers are headed to their third straight Stanley Cup Finals with the intention of winning back-to-back Cups, and while that's where their focus will be this week, after the Finals, they've got some huge decisions to make.

The biggest will be on two key free agents, Brad Marchand and Sam Bennett, with the latter coming off a stellar five years with the team that has allowed him to see plenty of success both as a team and individually.

With Mitch Marner the only name bigger in free agency this summer however, he's expected to get paid in a big way, with some predictions even reporting that his next deal could go as high as $10 million annually, despite a regular season career high of just 50 points.

That value comes from immense production during the Stanley Cup Playoffs, and no one knows that better than his current team, who, according to Elliotte Friedman, are the front runners to land his signature this summer.

This comes after reports that the Maple Leafs may look to offer the Ontario born Bennett the biggest contract in free agency, but with the nice weather and consistent playoff success, it's no surprise that he prefers to stay with the Panthers.

Ultimately, there could be many different ways that Bennett's free agency plays out, with the veteran forward looking to get paid but also looking to remain with a contender, and given the Panthers solid salary cap situation, it makes sense for the two parties to remain together moving forward.