As Sam Bennett’s playoff lore continues to grow with each playoff goal scored, his pending free agency only grows more fascinating. On the one hand, you have a soon-to-be 29-year-old second-line center — a decent one that plays with an edge and has scored at a 53-point pace since joining the Florida Panthers.

Sam Bennett's future with the Florida Panthers is uncertain as contract talks have stalled, despite speculation of a re-signing. Several teams are pre

Bennett had the kind of shift in Game 3’s victory on Monday that tells the larger Panthers’ story. It’s as much the moment of this series as Panthers forward Brad Marchand’s breakaway goal to win Game 2, defenseman Aaron Ekblad’s hit that sent Connor McDavid spinning to the ice or McDavid’s brilliant “walk-on-water toe tap,’’ as Ekblad called it.