NHL News: Conn Smythe winner Sam Bennett issues tough-love message to key Panthers teammate

Sam Bennett has never been one to mince words—or actions—in the NHL. Often at the center of the storm, the Florida Panthers’ forward has always stayed true to himself, for better or worse. Now, the reigning Conn Smythe Trophy winner has delivered a blunt message to a teammate in Sunrise.

Mackie Samoskevich is expected to take a big jump during the 2025-26 NHL season. The former first round pick in 2021 played a big role last season but was mostly healthy scratched in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Now, the 22-year-old is determined to prove he belongs on the Panthers‘ lineup no matter the stakes.

Bennett knows just how productive Samoskevich can be on the ice, as the two were linemates through many stretches of the past campaign. However, the young talent is still a bit wet behind the ears, and the experienced centerman issued an honest comment about him.

“Mackie looks really good right now,” Sam Bennett said during the Panthers’ media day ahead of training camp’s start. “Once he realizes how good he can be, it’s gonna make him that much better of a player.”

Mackie Samoskevich #25 of the Florida Panthers at Nationwide Arena in Columbus.

New number, who this?

In a shocking turn of events, Samoskevich will don a new jersey number for the 2025-26 NHL season. Number changes are nothing unusual in the league, so that alone wasn’t the surprise in Florida. What caught everyone off guard was Samoskevich’s decision to take the vacant No. 11 sweater.

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Jonathan Huberdeau was the last Panther to wear the number, and it had remained vacant since the Cats shipped him to Calgary for Matthew Tkachuk in the biggest trade of the decade.

Doing it justice

Many in Sunrise believed the jersey might eventually be retired by the franchise, but Mackie putting it on almost certainly means it won’t be heading into the rafters—at least not with Huberdeau’s name on the back.

While fans were taken aback with the jersey change, the players seem to have no problem whatsoever with Samoskevich’s decision. Captain Aleksander Barkov, who was very close with Huberdeau, even spoke on the topic himself with a special remark. “Must be the number,” Barkov said when talking about Samoskevich’s growth and how he looked on the ice.