Bennett has not played since March 20
Bennett has not played since March 20
The Florida Panthers may be without one of their top centermen when the team opens the postseason against the Boston Bruins on Monday.
Sam Bennett has been placed on Injured Reserve, a move reflected on the Panthers roster on the NHL Media site.
The 26-year-old had been playing some of his best hockey of the season when he suffered an apparent lower-body injury during Florida’s 5-2 win at Detroit on March 20.
Panthers Head Coach Paul Maurice has not said exactly what Bennett’s injury is, only that it’s soft tissue and something Bennett has dealt with before.
That has led some to draw the conclusion that Bennett is still dealing with a groin injury that he’s had to manage in the past and may have been what kept him out for six games back in February.
Whether the IR designation changes anything regarding Bennett’s status for the playoffs is yet to be determined.
Florida will play Game One in Boston on Monday and Game Three will take place Wednesday.
Based on the sudden change, it seems unlikely Bennett’s status has improved.
Earlier this week Maurice said he was hopeful things would turn back around for Bennett despite the apparent setback.
“He hasn’t progressed as fast as we’d want,” Maurice said after Wednesday’s practice. “That still doesn’t necessarily keep him out (of the playoffs), but we need the next three or four days to see an upswing.”
The Panthers did recall Gerry Mayhew from the AHL’s Charlotte Checkers, albeit temporarily.
Mayhew was listed as a healthy scratch for Florida’s regular season-ending loss to Carolina on Thursday night, but he's not in South Florida anymore.
Charlotte plays at Lehigh Valley Friday night and at Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Saturday to wrap up their regular season.
A win Friday would lock up home ice for the Checkers during the first round of the Calder Cup Playoffs, and Mayhew is already back up north with Charlotte to help out his everyday club with the Panthers off for a few days.
We'll have to wait and see whether he's summoned back to South Florida.
Florida will be back on the ice for their first practice of the postseason on Saturday at the Ice Den in Coral Springs. That's when we should find out more about Bennett’s outlook.