Panthers coach ‘disappointed’ in Sam Bennett suspension. Here’s how they will replace him
The Florida Panthers will be without one of their top six forwards for the week — and it’s safe to say interim coach Andrew Brunette is not happy about it.
The NHL suspended center Sam Bennett for three games after his high hit to Montreal’s Cedric Paquette early in Saturday’s win over the Canadiens. Bennett was not called for a penalty on the ice when it happened in the first period, but the league ruled that his “high, hard hit” was avoidable after reviewing the film and handed down the suspension.
Bennett will miss Tuesday’s game against Calgary and both games of the Panthers’ upcoming road trip — Thursday at the Dallas Stars and Saturday at the Carolina Hurricanes.
Brunette, to say the least, didn’t agree with that decision.
“I’m disappointed in the sentence of three games,” Brunette said, “but as we all know, they make the rules; we follow them. We’re gonna miss him for these three games.”
The NHL Department of Player Safety considered Bennett “a repeat offender under the terms of the Collective Bargaining Agreement.”
Bennett was suspended one other time in his Panthers tenure, missing Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Playoff series with the Tampa Bay Lightning for boarding Lightning forward Blake Coleman in the third period of Game 1 of the series.
Bennett has been a staple for the Panthers this season. He’s tied for third on the team with 11 goals and tied for the team lead with four game-winning goals and three power-play goals while centering Florida’s second forward line.
He scored two goals on Saturday against Montreal and had an assist in Florida’s come-from-behind win against the New York Rangers on Wednesday.
“Sam’s played so well for us since he’s been here,” Brunette said, “but really these last couple games he’s been pretty dominant out there. ... I feel bad for the kid and the player.”
Now, the Panthers will need to find ways to replace his production for this week — and he isn’t the only player the Panthers will be missing for the immediate future.
Florida will also be without forwards Sam Reinhart and Mason Marchment, who are out Tuesday due to the NHL’s COVID-19 protocols. Assistant coach Tuomo Ruutu is also unavailable on Tuesday because of the virus. Forward Carter Verhaeghe had a maintenance day Monday and did not practice, but should be available for Tuesday.
Based on the team’s practice lines on Monday, rookie Anton Lundell will most likely slide into Bennett’s spot on the second line, centering Jonathan Huberdeau and Anthony Duclair.
Joe Thornton, Eetu Loustarinen and Ryan Lomberg, all of whom were healthy scratches, should return to the lineup Tuesday as well.
With a two-game road trip on deck after Tuesday’s game, Brunette said the Panthers will likely make roster moves over the next 24 hours.
“We kind of got thinned out a little bit up front,” Brunette said. “We’ll see how [Verhaeghe] is doing [Tuesday], and I’m sure we’ll have a few moves to give us some flexibility moving forward.”
League honor for Huberdeau
Huberdeau was named the NHL’s third star of the week after tallying eight points (one goal, seven assists) over Florida’s last two games. Huberdeau is now second in the league in assists (30) and fourth in points (41).
“He’s an elite playmaker, arguably one of the top couple in the game,” Brunette said. “He’s fun to watch every night and he means so much to this team. He’s really grown into that leader I knew he would be. It’s been fun to watch him step it up to another level.”
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