If they won't re-sign a player like Brock Boeser, the Vancouver Canucks are going to have to find other ways to be active in free agency this offseason.
One name that looms large is none other than Florida Panthers center Sam Bennett, the star playoff performer who already has nine goals, four assists, and 13 points in 14 postseason games at the time of this writing.
Bennett, 28, has been pegged by some national media pundits as a "$10 million player," which really isn't true, but the market will ultimately dictate that on July 1, right?
The former No. 4 overall pick has scored 20 goals in three of his four seasons in Florida, but still managed at least 40 points in each of them. Additionally, Bennett racked up a career-high 51 points this season, which helps his cause but works against other NHL teams, including the Canucks.
The reigning Stanley Cup champion is a volume shooter with a career shooting percentage of 10.4%, and Bennett hasn't won 50% of his faceoffs in a season since 2019-20. Bennett is a good player, but is he being overrated for his playoff success (which does matter)? Yes, yes he is.
From the Canucks' perspective, beggars can't be choosers. Many have connected former captain Bo Horvat to a return to Vancouver, but the final say is his. And there are no guarantees Horvat is eager to deal with the mess that is the Canucks again.
If they can land Bennett, perhaps in the $7 to $8 million range, they'll have a viable middle-six center to support Elias Pettersson alongside the oft-injured Filip Chytil, whose scary concussion history is becoming a big question mark going forward.
But, if the Canucks are going to get roped into paying $9 or $10 million for Bennett on the open market, considering the media push behind him and the tax advantages Florida has, signing Bennett would be a waste of time.
For marginally more money, Patrik Allvin and Co. can just go out and keep Boeser and Pius Suter without worrying about the contract of a volume-shooting power forward aging like milk.
Plus, there will be other options out there. Some other free agent centers include Mikael Granlund, who'd be a great fit, Brock Nelson, Claude Giroux, and Yanni Gourde.
Bennett is exactly what the Canucks need down the middle, but only at the right price, especially considering he'll get the max term wherever he lands.