Don Cherry Disagrees with NHL's Conn Smythe Winner Pick
The Florida Panthers are still riding high after winning a second straight Stanley Cup, but debate over the Conn Smythe Trophy has spilled into the offseason.
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NHL legend Don Cherry made his thoughts on the Conn Smythe winner clear, addressing the choice during Episode 313 of "The Don Cherry's Grapevine Podcast" on Sunday.
Cherry believes that veteran Brad Marchand was overlooked for the playoff MVP award, which instead went to teammate Sam Bennett.
Don Cherry's son, Tim, asked his dad about his thoughts on Bennett, to which Don replied: "Well, I thought Marchand was pretty good. Sure, you give it to both of them?"
Florida Panthers center Brad Marchand celebrates after scoring in overtime of Game 3 against the Toronto Maple Leafs in the second round of the 2025 Stanley Cup playoffs.Sam Navarro-Imagn Images
Tim acknowledged Don's answer but noted that the player who leads the postseason in goals is usually the one who ends up with the award. Bennett scored 15 goals to Marchand's 10.
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"But you look at Marchand, and he had 10 goals, 20 points, three game-winning goals, two overtime winners, and was the second-highest plus/minus with plus-17," Tim said.
"Well, Marchand should have won," Don interjected.
Florida Panthers center Brad Marchand hoists the Stanley Cup after Game 6 of the 2025 Stanley Cup Final against the Edmonton Oilers at Amerant Bank Arena. Sam Navarro-Imagn Images
The Panthers acquired Marchand at the trade deadline from the Boston Bruins, and he went on to put up the numbers mentioned by Tim across 23 postseason games after finishing the regular season with 51 points in 71 games between Boston and Florida.
Bennett, meanwhile, earned the Conn Smythe after setting a franchise record with 15 playoff goals, including 13 on the road — also an NHL postseason record. His 107 hits ranked second leaguewide and first on the Panthers, whose 10 road wins tied another NHL record.
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Meanwhile, both forwards are scheduled to become unrestricted free agents on July 1.
Related: Brad Marchand's Seven-Word Comment on Maple Leafs Speculation
Related: Pierre LeBrun Confirms Sam Bennett-Panthers Situation Before Free Agency
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 23, 2025, where it first appeared.
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