It will be interesting to see where the Chicago Blackhawks will spend their money this offseason in free agency once the draft concludes at the end of June. Holding the third overall pick in the draft will be huge for the organization in terms of adding another key cog to their talented and deep prospect pool. The franchise also holds the 25th overall selection in the first round of June’s draft, originally of the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Even though the team had a surprisingly stronger finish down the stretch than many would have thought, they still need more goal-scoring help for the upcoming campaign. Connor Bedard and Frank Nazar will hopefully take steps forward, but having more successful veterans around them would not hurt. There are a few big time options that the Blackhawks’ front office could pursue in the forward market, and one of them won the Stanley Cup a season ago in Florida.
Why Sam Bennett would be a great fit for the Chicago Blackhawks
Sam Bennett was the fourth overall pick in the 2014 draft to the Calgary Flames. He spent the first seven years of his NHL career in Calgary before being traded to the Florida Panthers ahead of the 2020-21 season, where he missed most of his first year with the organization and only logged 10 games on the ice. Bennett has missed a handful of games in each of his seasons with the Panthers, but he is coming off his best regular season yet.
The 28-year-old scored 25 goals and picked up 26 assists in 76 games, the most he has played in the regular season in his time with Florida. The Panthers are still in the playoffs this year, as they have the second game of the Eastern Conference Finals against the Carolina Hurricanes on Thursday night. Bennett has seven goals and three assists so far in 13 games this postseason after he found the back of the net seven times in last year’s Stanley Cup run.
Bennett is a premier talent that has playoff success and he will come at a much cheaper price on the open market compared to a guy like Mitch Marner. The Blackhawks should be in on both Bennett and Marner, but it will depend on what they are going to prioritize more in attempting to sign a star forward.
What’s keeping the Chicago Blackhawks from getting Sam Bennett
If Chicago waits too long to approach Bennett in free agency while waiting for someone like Marner, another team could swoop in with a solid offer to claim his services. With Bennett coming at a cheaper price, there is no saying that the Panthers won’t try to move some money around if they are really interested in keeping him in the fold moving forward.
Another issue the Blackhawks could run into with Bennett applies to all major free agents this offseason. Even though they have the money, Bennett might not want to wait around to win again. He is used to making deep runs in the playoffs and while Chicago hopes to be in that position at some point down the road, it will be at least a few years until they are near that status again.
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