Bennett suffered a lower-body injury during Florida's preseason game on Oct. 5
Bennett suffered a lower-body injury during Florida's preseason game on Oct. 5
The Florida Panthers will get a big boost down the middle on Monday night when they face the Boston Bruins.
Center Sam Bennett will play in his first regular season game of the 2023-24 season.
The 27-year-old has been working his way back from a lower-body injury that knocked him out of Florida's penultimate preseason game against Tampa Bay on Oct. 5.
Bennett was cleared to join his teammates for full practices last week and has been ramping things up since, preparing for when he'd get the green light to jump into a game.
That time has now arrived.
The Panthers removed Bennett from Injured Reserve on Monday afternoon, clearing the way for his official debut.
Bennett is expected to center a line with Carter Verhaeghe on his left and Matthew Takchuk on his right.
The trio was incredibly effective and consistent when together during Florida's push to make last season's playoffs and ultimate run to the Stanley Cup Final.
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