The Florida Panthers have won the Stanley Cup once again. Florida defeated the Edmonton Oilers in Game 6 to claim their second consecutive championship. They could not have made it this far without the effort of forward Sam Bennett. And on Tuesday night, Bennett was recognized for his performance.

Bennett has won the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP. This is a rather historic moment in Panthers history. Bennett is the first player in franchise history to earn this honor. Oilers superstar Connor McDavid won the Conn Smythe last summer despite Edmonton losing to Florida in Game 7.

Bennett caps off the best season of his career with a major honor. He already looked set to earn a major payday in NHL free agency on July 1. However, winning the Conn Smythe is going to cement this fact. It will certainly be intriguing to see how his free agency plays out in two weeks time.

Panthers' Sam Bennett hoped to prevent Game 7

Florida Panthers center Sam Bennett (9) looks on after scoring against the Utah Hockey Club during the second period at Amerant Bank Arena.
Sam Navarro-Imagn Images
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Bennett understood what was at stake in Game 6. Florida had this chance against the Oilers last season. Edmonton won two in a row as they looked to climb back from a 3-0 series deficit. They were able to win Game 6 on home ice, forcing a decisive Game 7.

This time, Florida wanted to avoid that fate. They wanted to close this thing out when they had the chance. Bennett believed last year's experience would be helpful in achieving this goal.

“It’s extremely tough. It’s a moment you think about your whole life. It’s in the back of your head. I think we can just learn from that experience last year,” the 2025 Conn Smythe Trophy winner said after Game 5, according to Panthers beat reporter Jameson Olive.

Bennett and the Panthers did exactly that. They are Stanley Cup champions once again. They will celebrate for a bit, but Bennett has some decisions to make over the next few weeks. Let's see whether the playoff MVP will return to Florida in 2025-26.