The Stanley Cup Playoffs seem to bring out the best in Bennett. It's where he's played key roles in helping the Florida Panthers advance to the Stanley Cup Final in three straight seasons, beginning in 2023.

He had 15 points (five goals, 10 assists) and was second on the Panthers with 84 hits in 20 playoff games before Florida lost the 2023 Final in five games to the Vegas Golden Knights, and 14 points (seven goals, seven assists) in 19 games of the 2024 postseason en route to becoming a Stanley Cup champion.

Bennett enjoyed a banner 2024-25 season. He set NHL career highs in assists (26) and points (51) and had a career-best seven-point streak (four goals, four assists) from Nov. 25 to Dec. 7. His goal at 14:56 of the second period in a 4-3 shootout win against the Philadelphia Flyers on Nov. 9 was his 300th point in the NHL.

Bennett was voted winner of the Conn Smythe Trophy as MVP of the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs after scoring a postseason-high 15 goals, five in the Stanley Cup Final, to help the Panthers repeat as Stanley Cup champions. He became the fourth active player with at least 15 goals in a single postseason, joining Edmonton Oilers forward Zach Hyman (16 in 2024), Washington Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin (15 in 2018) and Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby (15 in 2009), and set an NHL record for the most road goals in the playoffs (13), passing the previous mark set by Mark Scheifele of the Winnipeg Jets in 2018.

The accolades earned Bennett an eight-year contract he signed with the Panthers on June 27, 2025. It's no wonder coach Paul Maurice said Bennett represented the embodiment of "the prototypical Florida Panther identity." That's described the forward to a T since Florida acquired him in a trade with the Calgary Flames on April 12, 2021.

Bennett helped Team Canada win silver at the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026 as an injury replacement for Tampa Bay Lightning forward Anthony Cirelli.

When the Flames selected Bennett with the No. 4 pick in 2014 NHL Draft -- the highest selection in franchise history -- expectations began to build for the 18-year-old. He had completed two seasons with Kingston of the Ontario Hockey League and scored 54 goals and 131 points in 117 games, which earned him an invitation to the Flames training camp. But a shoulder injury that required surgery derailed Bennett's season and he was limited to 11 games with Kingston and one with the Flames, although he played 11 playoff games.

Bennett became a regular with Calgary in 2015-16, scoring 18 goals and 36 points, but the highlight came in a 6-0 win against the Panthers on Jan. 13, 2016, when he became the third youngest player in NHL history to score four goals in a game. Only Jack Hamilton (Toronto, 1943-44) and Bob Carpenter (Washington, 1981-82) accomplished it at a younger age.

The Holland Landing, Ontario, native had one goal in three games to help Canada win the 4 Nations Face-Off and won gold at the IIHF World Under-18 Championship in Russia, where he scored three goals and seven points in seven games.