The Toronto Maple Leafs and Florida Panthers not only play in the heavily competitive Atlantic Division, but they’ve also had two run-ins during the Stanley Cup Playoffs in recent years, both of which went the way of the Panthers.
And during each of those series, multiple Panthers players became the bane of Toronto’s existence, including Matthew Tkachuk, Sam Bennett, and most recently, Brad Marchand.
Ironically, goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky, who helped the Panthers take down the Maple Leafs during both of their postseason series in 2023 and 2025, signed in Toronto this summer after seven years in Florida.
However, several Panthers players who contributed to Toronto’s playoff downfalls remain with the club, including one in particular who was named the biggest Maple Leafs villain.
Florida Panthers Forward Sam Bennett Was Named The Biggest Villain Of The Toronto Maple Leafs
According to The Athletic’s Jonas Siegel, it wasn’t Panthers forward Matthew Tkachuk that stands as the biggest villain to the Toronto Maple Leafs, but Sam Bennett.
“I can’t speak to over 100 years of history, so I’m going to pick a more recent villain in Bennett,” Siegel wrote. “Whether it was injuring Matthew Knies in the 2023 playoffs or Anthony Stolarz in the 2025 playoffs, or scoring some big goals, Bennett has done a lot to enrage the Leafs and their fans in recent years.”
Bennett has caused plenty of grief for opponents of the Panthers over the years, but the Maple Leafs in particular.
During their 2023 postseason series, Bennett took down Knies, who was a rookie at the time, with a forceful hit that drove him hard into the ice. The play resulted in Knies suffering a concussion, forcing him out of the game and keeping him sidelined for the remainder of the playoff series.
Bennett wasn’t assessed a penalty on the play.
Two years later, Bennett drove hard into his former teammate, goaltender Anthony Stolarz, and made contact with the side of his head. Stolarz vomited on the bench and missed the remainder of the series, and was even briefly hospitalized.
Just like the play on Knies two years prior, Bennett wasn’t assessed a penalty on the play. The following day, the Panthers forward said that he texted with Stolarz, whom he won the Stanley Cup with in 2024, saying that there was no ill intent on his part.
“Obviously I heard he went to the hospital last night,” Bennett said. “’Stolie’s’ a good friend of mine. I reached out to him and he responded.
“Obviously, never want to see an injury like that. From my point of view, I was just taking the puck to the net. I didn’t even know we’d made contact until after. I mean, we’re on the power play. I’m trying to score. That’s really all there is to it.”
Sam Bennett Won The Conn Smythe Trophy In 2025
During Florida’s second consecutive Stanley Cup championship run, Bennett scored 15 goals during the postseason and won the Conn Smythe Trophy as postseason MVP.
An unrestricted free agent, Bennett was re-signed by the Panthers to an eight-year, $64 million deal.
Like HEAVY’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on HEAVY
The post Panthers Star Named Public Enemy No. 1 For Maple Leafs appeared first on HEAVY.