Top UFA Reportedly Crosses the Maple Leafs Off of His List Ahead of Free Agency

The Leafs may be losing a star forward in Mitch Marner come July 1st, but they will gain a lot of cap space that GM Brad Treliving will hopefully be able to put to good use.

Traded by Treliving in the summer of 2021, Sam Bennett has found his home with the Florida Panthers over the past several seasons.

Bennett became public enemy number one in Toronto after he injured Anthony Stolarz in Game 1 of their second round series. Still, despite the hate from Leafs Nation, Bennett is at the top of many fans' wish-lists and has reportedly been at the top of the Leafs' wish list as well.

Last week, Sportsnet's John Shannon revealed that the Leafs and Panthers are the main contenders for Bennett's services.

On Friday, ahead of Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final, however, TSN's Darren Dreger noted that while the Leafs and many other teams will be doing their best to draw Bennett away from Florida, they won't make it easy for him to walk.

Later in the day on Friday, Dreger made an appearance on TSN 1050's 'OverDrive' and explained that, despite the Leafs' interest, there is an oddly specific reason Bennett likely won't leave South Florida.

The good news is that it has nothing to do with money or the pressure of playing in Toronto. The bad news is that it's impossible for the Leafs to compete with warm weather, beaches and sunshine all year around.

Unless a ridiculous amount of money is thrown at him, or he gets an offer from another team that can offer him a similar lifestyle, any team will be hard-pressed to get the 28-year-old out of Florida by the sounds of things.