FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. -- Sam Bennett was a healthy scratch on March 6, 2021. It was the second straight game and third time in a 16-game stretch that then-coach Darryl Sutter decided the Calgary Flames were better off without the center in the lineup.
Today, it's mind-boggling to think that ever happened.
"What a difference," Florida Panthers coach Paul Maurice said.
Suffice to say healthy scratches are a thing of the past for the 28-year-old center. Bennett leads all players in the Stanley Cup Playoffs with 10 goals in 17 games, and has 45 points (22 goals, 23 assists) in 56 postseason games with the Panthers since 2023.
He has played a massive role in Florida reaching the Stanley Cup Final three straight years, including winning the Stanley Cup last year and having a chance to repeat this year.
The Panthers will face the Edmonton Oilers in the Cup Final for the second straight season; the Oilers advanced by eliminating the Dallas Stars in five games in the Western Conference Final.
Game 1 of the Final will be at Rogers Place in Edmonton on Wednesday (8 p.m. ET; CBC, TVAS, SN, TNT, truTV, MAX).
"I definitely struggled in Calgary for a while," Bennett said. "Once I got here (to Florida), just how the team embraced me, the opportunity the team gave me right from the beginning was totally different than what I was getting in Calgary. I took that opportunity and found some success early.
"Our team definitely changed quite a bit from when I first got here, but I still had that confidence. Our style changed, but I think it even fit my style of game even more, so that gave me even more confidence to go out and play."