NHL Trade Deadline: Florida Panthers acquire Sam Bennett from Calgary Flames

The Florida Panthers made a big move on a slow NHL Trade Deadline day as they acquired forward Sam Bennett from the Calgary Flames as the clock ticked down.

Before the Panthers scored Bennett — who was the fourth pick in the 2014 NHL Draft which saw Florida take Aaron Ekblad first — the biggest move of the day was former Florida defenseman Dmitry Kulikov going from the Devils to Edmonton.

Other moves, such as Detroit sending Anthony Mantha to Washington, came out minutes later.

Florida sent a second round pick in 2022 and Emil Heineman, whom the Panthers took in the second round in 2020, to the Flames.

Bennett fits the mold of players GM Bill Zito has been acquiring since coming to Florida as the Panthers are betting a change of scenery will do wonders.

”We didn’t necessary plan this where guys had a similar trait,’’ Zito said. “But reflecting back, it seems like many of them do.”