Sam Bennett Named as Trade Candidate; 2 Notable Teams to Watch

There are plenty of names floating around the rumor mill as we get a bit closer to full-on trade season in the NHL. Insiders everywhere are doing their due diligence to come up with names, and one of the most notable ones comes to us from Sportnet's Nick Kypreos. He suggests that impending UFA Sam Bennett of the Florida Panthers is a trade candidate.

In fact, Bennett sits at the top of his "intriguing names to watch" list.

The Panthers have received plenty of feedback from teams that would be willing to pay a boatload to get him... With an expiring contract, there's a risk they'll lose him for nothing next summer and that's not so appealing to GM Bill Zito so from what I'm told, he'll listen.
It seems there's more than a 50-50 chance Bennett could be traded this season if they don’t close the negotiation gap, which sits today as wide as a football field.

Bennett's grit and production were instrumental in helping lead the Florida Panthers to the Stanley Cup last season, and he'd be a pretty difficult player to replace for a team looking to repeat. But with extension talks going nowhere at this point, Cup contenders are circling.

Kypreos lists two teams he's watching:

Colorado Avalanche

They would "lead the charge" in trying to land Bennett, what with the continued absence of captain Gabriel Landeskog. Bennett would be the perfect replacement for the ultimate skilled two-way player Landeskog, who the Avs have been missing for the past 2½ years since he led them to the Cup.

Dallas Stars

Another team that lost one of its leaders, two-way players and top playoff performers in Tyler Seguin. Kypreos wonders if the Stars would give up Mason Marchment in return for Bennett. Marchment still has another year left on his deal.