BY NATE MOSER
The Florida Panthers are currently in an exciting era in their franchise’s history. The club made the Stanley Cup Final for the second time in their existence back in 2023, and they have a younger core who will have seasons to continue to grow together and be a serious contender throughout the league. However, as exciting as these times are for the Panthers and their fanbase, there is work to be done for general manager Bill Zito, no matter what happens for them in the 2024 playoffs. There are significant names who are about to hit free agency. There is Vladimir Tarasenko, who Florida got from the Ottawa Senators in a trade during this season. There is Brandon Montour on defense, who if he hits free agency, will garner plenty of attention. Then, there is forward Sam Reinhart, who had a career season and was second in the whole NHL in goals with only Toronto Maple Leafs superstar Auston Matthews getting more (69 goals).
The clock is ticking for the Panthers to get Reinhart re-signed. Free agency is less than two months away now. He has proven that he needs to be one of the talents front and center to represent this organization going forward. He, Matthew Tkachuk, and Aleksander Barkov all finished this season with at least 80 points (Tkachuk had 88 and Barkov 80). Reinhart in particular had career highs in both goals and points. The 28-year-old had 57 goals and 94 points, which led the whole team in both categories.
Reinhart started his career with the Buffalo Sabres. He was selected second overall in the 2014 NHL Entry Draft (Panthers selected defender Aaron Ekblad first overall and the Calgary Flames picked current Panther Sam Bennett third overall). He, along with 2015 second overall pick Jack Eichel, were the faces of the Sabres as they were trying to come out of their organizational rebuild. As a result of skilled teammates like Eichel and forward Ryan O’Reilly among others, Reinhart was almost an underrated part of the team. His production grew over the seasons he put under his belt. He posted the following numbers while in Buffalo:
- 2014-15: one assist for one point in nine games
- 2015-16: 23 goals and 19 assists for 42 points in 79 games
- 2016-17: 17 goals and 30 assists for 47 points in 79 games
- 2017-18: 25 goals and 25 assists for 50 points in 82 games
- 2018-19: 22 goals and 43 assists for 65 points in 82 games
- 2019-20: 22 goals and 28 assists for 50 points in 69 games
- 2020-21: 25 goals and 15 assists for 40 points in 54 games
At some point, the Sabres needed to give Reinhart that big long-term contract, but it never came. Instead, the extensions he would get would be more bridge deals. If you ask me, it was a fumble on the organization’s fault not to get a long-term contract signed. One team’s fumble is another franchise’s reward. Reinhart was dealt in the summer of 2021 to the Panthers. The full deal was Reinhart to Florida and Buffalo acquiring a first-round pick in 2022 and goalie prospect Devon Levi. While Levi has the potential to become a star goalie between the pipes for Buffalo, Reinhart’s change of scenery proved to be an important move for Florida’s development into a contender.
In Florida’s current era as a contender, Reinhart’s stats have shot up. He has hit his prime with the Panthers, and it skyrocketed especially this season. Since arriving as a Panther, these are the regular season numbers he has posted:
- 2021-22: 33 goals and 49 assists for 82 points in 79 games
- 2022-23: 31 goals and 36 assists for 67 points in 82 games
- 2023-24: 57 goals and 37 assists for 94 points in 82 games
Additionally, Reinhart has netted 16 goals and 10 assists for 26 points in his first 41 postseason games, all with Florida. In his first 10 playoff games for 2024, he accumulated five goals and four assists for nine points. That is good for fourth on the squad in points. Barkov (13 points), Tkachuk (13), and Carter Verhaeghe (10) currently have more, as this is being written.
Looking back at Reinhart’s regular season stats for this season, being able to score 50 goals is very hard to do in the NHL, but almost getting 60 is another challenge entirely. Only a few have been able to accomplish that. Tampa Bay Lightning’s Steven Stamkos immediately comes to mind when he potted 60 in 2011-12. Matthews got 69 so he just fell short of the 70 mark. What Reinhart was able to do this season was incredible. Zito needs to make bringing him back priority one. Reinhart is a talent you make room for if his cap hit were to become too much. He deserves every penny he gets this offseason, from the Panthers or from another team. It has been a great pairing between Reinhart and the organization. Letting him walk to another team would just be a huge loss in the progress of the Panthers. It’s your move, Zito. It’s time to pay Sam.
The Sports Insanity Network 