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Paul Maurice Sabotages Sam Bennett's Free Agency in Jest During Funny In-Game Interview

Maurice did his best to discourage teams from signing the Panthers free agent-to-be this offseason.

Tim Capurso

Maurice really doesn't want anyone to sign Sam Bennett this offseason.
Maurice really doesn't want anyone to sign Sam Bennett this offseason. / @TNT
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Presiding over a team that has made it to its third straight Stanley Cup Final, Florida Panthers coach Paul Maurice, unsurprisingly, would like to find a way to keep the band together this offseason.

While losing some players to free agency may seem inevitable, Maurice found a bold strategy to get ahead of that potential scenario with one of his players, center Sam Bennett: sabotaging his market.

Maurice did so in jest in an amusing in-game interview with TNT Sports's Jackie Redmond during the second period of the Panthers' 6-1 Stanley Cup Final Game 3 victory on Monday night.

Here's the funny moment.

Redmond brought up Bennett's two crushing hits and goal, which Maurice praised. When Redmond said that Bennett's agent wouldn't have to work very hard for his client, Maurice proceeded to give a hilarious counterargument to teams considering signing Bennett this offseason.

"Horrible attitude," Maurice deadpanned. "I think he's got the bubonic plague. Dengue fever. He's got a whole bunch of things. We're not sure if he can be cured."

Sure he plays hockey well, but he has an incurable 14th century disease and a terrible temperament.

In all seriousness, it's no wonder that Maurice would want Bennett back next season. The 28-year-old has been on a tear this postseason, as he has 14 goals, including an NHL playoff-record 12 goals on the road.

He's a big reason why Florida is just two wins away from winning its second straight Stanley Cup Final.

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Tim Capurso
TIM CAPURSO

Tim Capurso is a staff writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. Prior to joining SI in November 2023, he wrote for RotoBaller and ClutchPoints, where he was the lead editor for MLB, college football and NFL coverage. A lifelong Yankees and Giants fan, Capurso grew up just outside New York City and now lives near Philadelphia. When he's not writing, he enjoys reading, exercising and spending time with his family, including his three-legged cat Willow, who, unfortunately, is an Eagles fan.

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