There is absolutely no better time than now for Sam Reinhart to be playing the best hockey of his career. Fresh off a scintillating Stanley Cup Final run with the Florida Panthers, the 28-year-old has been his team’s premier player in 2023-24, with a ridiculous 32 goals and 55 points in just 43 games.
And it’s going to earn the West Vancouver native a monumental raise on his next contract — whether in Sunrise or elsewhere.
Reinhart is the highest-scoring pending unrestricted free agent forward, and he’s already just one goal back of the career-high of 33 he set in 2021-22. The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun thinks that despite Reinhart’s soaring cost, the superstar will remain in South Beach for the long haul.
Sam Reinhart wants to remain with Panthers, says LeBrun
“Reinhart really, really wants to stay in South Florida and understands what that means. He just wants a fair deal,” wrote the hockey insider on Monday.
“I think term will matter to Reinhart. He’s 28 years old, so this is likely his last big contract moment, and he’s never gotten term before. He came out of his entry-level deal in Buffalo and signed a two-year, $7.3 million deal in September 2018, followed by a one-year, $5.2 million contract in October 2020, then signed a three-year, $19.5 million with the Panthers in August 2021, a month after his trade acquisition.
“Point being that term and the peace of mind that would come with it might be a nice exchange for taking less AAV than his market worth. Either way, I foresee Reinhart staying put in South Florida.”
It would be hard to imagine the Panthers letting this player go; Reinhart looks to be getting better and better as the season goes on, and he’s been electric on the top line and first powerplay unit.
He’s also trailing Toronto Maple Leafs sniper Auston Matthews for the Rocket Richard Trophy by a single goal, and has a legitimate chance to challenge for it all year long.
And as Reinhart rolls along, so does Florida. The Cats have won eight of their last 10 games to improve to an excellent 27-13-3, good enough for second place in the Eastern Conference.
Florida is back in action against the Detroit Red Wings at home on Wednesday night — and Sam Reinhart will have a chance to match or exceed his career-high in goals in just game No. 44.
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