That the Buffalo Sabres chose, once again, to sign forward Sam Reinhart to short-term deal has more than a few people wondering what the plan is long-term for the consistent scorer. He’s posted three-straight 50-plus point seasons, yet can’t seem to get the team to commit to him. He spoke about that fact in a recent interview.
Reinhart signed a one-year deal last month and when this deal is done, the forward will be eligible for restricted free agency. Essentially, this new deal kicked the can down the road one season and at that time, he’ll only be a year away from UFA eligibility. Should he want to, Reinhart’s choices would be to file for arbitration, take the award, and get to the open market. It was a bit of a risk for the Sabres to go this route.
But, he told Bill Hoppe of the Olean Times Herald that his hope is to remain with Buffalo on a long-term contract down the road. He said:
“I think every player in the times right now would be open to a long-term deal. Unfortunately, that’s not always the case and it’s not always available. I’m certainly comfortable playing on short-term deals like I always have.”
Reinhart Feels He Deserves a Long-Term Deal
While he’s holding no hard feelings for another one-year pact, Reinhart says he feels he’s done a lot for this team and would like to be recognized with a long-term deal. He also understands there’s a lot more to prove and when the team has had as little success as the Sabres have over the past few seasons, uncertainty comes with the territory.
Last season, he score 22 goals and 50 points and Sabres coach Ralph Krueger upped his ice time by nearly two minutes per game. Reinhart said that was good for his game and noted that his energy levels can be attributed to his offseason training and physical maturity.
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