The NHL trade deadline always brings surprises, but few are as entertaining as the one Sam Bennett recently shared. When the Florida Panthers acquired Brad Marchand mid-season, it wasn’t just the fans who were caught off guard — the locker room descended into total confusion.
Appearing on the Empty Netters podcast, Bennett pulled back the curtain on how the rumor sparked an eruption of wild speculation, all thanks to Matthew Tkachuk’s mischief in the team’s group chat.
“We were all freaking out, trying to figure it out. It probably took like an hour until we finally figured out what it was for,” Bennett said. “Yeah, that was wild.”
How did the Panthers players learn about the Brad Marchand trade?
According to Bennett, it started with some low-level rumors — whispers, nothing official. Then, Tkachuk decided to stir the pot, firing off a message to the group chat claiming the team had just traded for “Marshy.” What followed was stunned silence, quickly replaced by frenzied speculation.
Sam Bennett #9 of the Florida Panthers celebrates with Brad Marchand #63 after scoring a goal against the Carolina Hurricanes during the third period in Game Five of the Eastern Conference Final of the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Lenovo Center on May 28, 2025 in Raleigh, North Carolina. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
Players began texting each other, wondering what the team had given up. At one point, some even feared they’d lost key pieces like Sam Reinhart in the deal. But as it turned out, Tkachuk was just trolling them. He had no insider information — just a sense of humor and perfect timing.
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Bennett reflects on representing Canada
Bennett also spoke about a much more serious highlight of his season: representing Canada at the 4 Nations Face-Off. His performance was critical, scoring the game-tying goal in the final against Team USA.
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“It’s the greatest honor,” Bennett said. “You could just feel the emotion from the fans.” Connor McDavid would go on to seal the victory in overtime, but Bennett’s contribution helped spark the gold-medal comeback.
