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The Florida Panthers have dominated over the past couple of weeks. They are second in the Atlantic Division with 50 points and a record of 24-12-2 through 38 games, just a mere two points behind the Boston Bruins for first place. Furthermore, they are riding a six-game winning streak, beating some of the toughest teams in the NHL.
On Thursday (Jan. 4), the NHL announced the first batch of All-Star selections. To the surprise of very few, forward Sam Reinhart will represent the Panthers in Toronto this February, his first career All-Star selection. After all that he’s done this season for the squad, it’s a well-earned honor.
Reinhart’s Incredible Start to the Season
This season, Reinhart has been remarkable. He leads the team in goals with 25, power-play goals with 12, points with 47, and power-play points with 16. In addition, he’s third on the team in assists with 22 and ranks fourth with a plus-15 rating.
He also ranks third in the league in goals, behind only Toronto Maple Leafs forward Auston Matthews and Tampa Bay Lightning forward Nikita Kucherov. He also leads the league in power-play goals.
Panthers Teammates, Coach and Front Office Feel the Same Way
The man who brought him in just three seasons ago felt the same way the NHL did about his selection to the game. His performance over the past few years has led up to a moment such as this.
“Sam has been a dominant two-way force for our club this season,” said general manager Bill Zito. “He has an elite capacity to rapidly comprehend the game, and his team-first approach is a testament to who he is as a person and an athlete. We are excited for Sam to represent our organization at the 2024 NHL All-Star Weekend.”
His coach also feels that his talent is elite. He’s been relied on every single night in some sort of capacity.
“He’s been very, very consistent,” head coach Paul Maurice said. “He’s certainly a two-way player. We’re looking at his numbers as elite, but he’s really been more than just an offensive player for us.”
His teammates love what he brings to the lineup every single night, firing on all cylinders on every shift. “He doesn’t stop,” defenseman Gustav Forsling said. “He’s been amazing so far, and I think it’s gonna keep going.”
Rightfully so. He earned everyone’s respect by making his first career All-Star appearance.
Reinhart Joins an Exclusive Club
Reinhart joins an incredible squad of former Panthers All-Stars, including some of his current teammates and front-office personnel like Aleksander Barkov (2018, 2023), Matthew Tkachuk (2023), Aaron Ekblad (2015, 2016) and Roberto Luongo (2004, 2015, 2016).
He also joins some incredible talent that donned the Panthers jersey in the All-Star Game in years past, including the “Russian Rocket” Pavel Bure (2000, 2001), Jaromir Jagr (2016), and the “Beezer” John Vanbiesbrouck (1994, 1996, 1997).
What’s Next for Reinhart?
In his last five games, Reinhart has seven points (six goals and an assist) and is looking to continue his two-game point streak of two goals and an assist. This season, he’s established why he was a shoo-in for the All-Star Weekend in Toronto.
Since he arrived in Broward County in the 2021 offseason, he’s been as advertised. In a contract year, he’s going to command some serious dough. But for now, the team should ride the wave and try for another chance to compete for the Stanley Cup.
More must-reads:
- Blue Jackets' extension talks with young star will have major impact on salary
- Dolphins OLBs coach Ryan Crow arrested on domestic battery charge
- The 'Most 1,000-rushing yard NFL seasons' quiz
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Blue Jackets' extension talks with young star will have major impact on salary
There’s no question that the Columbus Blue Jackets have one of the cleanest cap tables in the league, especially for how competitive they’re expected to be in the 2025-26 season. Still, as their younger players continue to age, the Blue Jackets are getting closer to potentially having to make difficult decisions, and their extension negotiations with Adam Fantilli will have a major impact on their salary hierarchy moving forward. Despite having a somewhat disappointing rookie season, albeit limited by injuries, the third overall pick of the 2024 NHL Draft responded well last season, scoring 31 goals and 54 points in 82 games while averaging 17:29 of ice time per game. Fantilli still needs to improve in the faceoff dot and on the defensive side of the puck, but being a 30-goal scorer at 20 years old is nothing to scoff at. In a recent interview with James Murphy of RG Media, Blue Jackets general manager Don Waddell spoke about the upcoming negotiations with Fantilli, saying, "We’re going to talk here in the next couple of weeks. Pat Brisson is his agent, and we’re going to do some face-to-face meetings. When these kinds of players are up and these kinds of deals need to be made, I think you need to be in front of each other. I think you make a lot more progress than just over the phone. So that’s always been my theory, and Pat’s the same way. I’ve done a lot of deals over the years with Pat, so we’ll be fine and sit down face-to-face and get this done. As we get closer to training camp, I think we’ll be much further ahead, and we have some dates already planned that we’ll meet, so let’s go from there.” There technically shouldn’t be any rush on Columbus’s end, given that Fantilli is a few years away from even becoming arbitration-eligible. Still, for the sake of cost certainty and having one of its core pieces locked up long-term, the Blue Jackets are eyeing a long-term extension with Fantilli in the coming weeks. Waddell also spoke about a separate extension this offseason. On the eve of free agency this summer, Columbus re-signed defenseman Ivan Provorov to a seven-year, $59.5M contract, which represented only a $1.75M yearly increase on his previous deal. Despite reports at the time indicating that Provorov might seek a larger deal on the open market, Waddell explained in the interview that there was no real concern he’d leave the organization. Murphy quoted Waddell, saying, “Well, the good thing is I was in dialogue regularly with Mark Andler, his agent, and there’s a lot of outside noise, but Mark kept telling me, and Provorov too, that his first choice was to stay here in Columbus.” Waddell explained that although Provorov’s cap hit may seem high, he believes it will look more favorable as the salary cap increases. Additionally, Provorov’s preparation for each season is expected to enhance his longevity throughout the duration of the contract. Lastly, Waddell touched on his excitement over the depth the Blue Jackets brought in this summer, particularly on offense. The team specifically targeted Charlie Coyle as a right-handed center and believes his leadership skills will prove a boon to the younger players on the roster. Meanwhile, the team’s general manager also remarked about the skill level of Miles Wood on the offensive side of the puck and Isac Lundeström’s skill on the defensive side of the puck. All three additions are expected to maintain important roles for the Blue Jackets this season and help the team return to the postseason for the first time since the 2020 Stanley Cup playoffs.
Browns QB Shedeur Sanders slammed by NFL coach for being late on reads
The Cleveland Browns have good reasons for keeping Shedeur Sanders as their third-string quarterback before Week 1 of the regular season. He needs to catch up to speed in the NFL. Jason Lloyd of The Athletic talked to an unnamed NFL head coach who argued that Sanders was late on reads during his two games in the preseason. One NFL coach I spoke to, who watched Sanders this preseason, thought he was consistently late reading what he saw and didn’t always deliver the ball where it was supposed to go, even though his numbers impressed against the Carolina Panthers. “The guy plays on tape delay,” the coach said. Sanders was noticeably tardy throwing the football during the Browns' preseason finale against the Los Angeles Rams. He took five sacks for -41 yards. The sacks overshadowed his three completions for 14 yards in Cleveland's 19-17 win over the Rams. Sanders looked much better in his preseason debut when he went 12-of-23 passing for 138 yards and two touchdowns. Still, the former Colorado Buffaloes signal caller took two sacks. Part of Sanders' regression against the Rams was that he played with a much weaker fourth-string unit. He received starting reps against the Panthers. But second-string quarterback Dillon Gabriel fared much better against opposing defenses with the same protection Sanders had. Sanders showed enough arm talent for the Browns to believe he has a chance to become a starter in the league. But he's just a rookie, and most quarterbacks struggle with holding the ball too long and throwing to the wrong area in the early stages of their career. With practice, Sanders should progress in those areas. There's no shame in starting the season as the QB3 until he's ready to lead the offense.
Jelena Ostapenko responds to racism allegations after post-match confrontation with Taylor Townsend
Micah Parsons trade overshadows positive Jordan Love news for Packers
It's the trade everyone wants to talk about, and for good reason. The Green Bay Packers pulled off a rare blockbuster trade, perhaps one of the biggest moves in the franchise's storied history. Superstar pass-rusher Micah Parsons is now a Packer. Green Bay general manager Brian Gutekunst traded two first round picks and long-time defensive tackle Kenny Clark to the Dallas Cowboys for Parsons, and then immediately gave him a four-year, $188M contract extension. That's seismic NFL news and it overshadowed another positive moment for Green Bay on Thursday, albeit a much smaller one. Before the trade, and while speaking to reporters, quarterback Jordan Love revealed that his surgically repaired left thumb is feeling good. He said he has "no concerns" heading into Week 1's massive matchup with the Detroit Lions, according to Rob Demovsky of ESPN. He'll have to wear a brace, but keep in mind, the brace will be on his non-throwing arm. "It'll be some weeks having to brace it up and just keep it protected," Love said. "It's one of those things, we'll play it by ear, as I start getting into games and seeing how it feels, as you get back to live contact. But there'll be some time having that brace still." While the Parsons trade will absolutely impact Green Bay's 2025 season, this update from Love is arguably just as important. Love showed at the end of the 2023 season that he has the capability to be an elite quarterback. He was injured for much of 2024, though, and his numbers and overall efficiency dipped as a result. No team wants to hear about its quarterback going under the knife just weeks before a season begins, but it sounds as if the decision was made in order to give Love the best chance to be as close to 100% as possible when things kick-off against the Lions on Sept. 7. It also sounds like he was dealing with a legitimate problem with his left thumb. "If you have no stability there, you have no strength as well," Love explained. "So it was pretty much just a limp thumb. I couldn't really do much with it, and it's just something that I wasn't, before the season, I'm not trying to be dealing with that throughout the course of the season. Who knows if that would have kept getting reinjured, kept getting messed up, and who knows how that would have been going through a whole season? So I think, and the doctors' opinion was, just go ahead and get the surgery knocked out and try to get back to as 100% as possible for the season." The Packers now have what appears to be an elite defense with the addition of Parsons. Despite trading away Clark in the deal, they've added him to a unit that features stars like safety Xavier McKinney, defensive end Rashan Gary and linebacker Edgerrin Cooper. If Love can remain healthy, there's a real chance the Packers' offense will be elite as well. That's got to be a scary proposition for the rest of the NFC.
Yankees Breakout Star Likely Leaving In Free Agency
"See ya." The catchphrase of New York Yankees broadcaster Michael Kay could be what the club says to outfielder Trent Grisham this winter. Grisham, a two-time Gold Glove winner, is enjoying a breakout year, slamming a career-high 27 home runs with more than a month left in the regular season. His .476 slugging percentage and .830 OPS also are personal bests. As a result. Grisham won't be hurting for suitors when free agency begins after the 2025 World Series. But New York Post Yankees beat writer Greg Joyce explained why the outfielder's return to the Bronx is unlikely. "Aaron Judge will presumably — barring his elbow injury turning into something that needs surgery — be back in right field next season," Joyce wrote. "Jasson Domínguez has lost his grip on everyday playing time this month, but he is still likely to be back in left field next year. "Cody Bellinger is playing well enough that he is expected to exercise his opt-out and join Grisham on the free-agent market, though it would not be surprising to see the Yankees try to make a bid to retain him. "And then there is the wild card of Spencer Jones, whom the Yankees hung on to at the trade deadline last month with the center fielder on an absolute heater at Triple-A, though there are still questions about exactly what they have in him," Joyce added. Look, there are clearly several variables in the mix here. Yes, it's likely that Bellinger opts out. And yes, it's possible the Yankees prioritize the former MVP over Grisham. But it's also possible another team (possibly the Mets) outbids the Yankees for Bellinger. Or maybe the Yankees trade Dominguez. Or general manager Brian Cashman uses Jones as trade bait. However it's hard to ignore the looming possibility that the 28-year-old Grisham could be gone after the season. "Even if the Yankees believe this version of Grisham is sustainable for the next few years, he still seems like a long shot to return given the money he has made himself this season," Joyce added. The seven-year MLB veteran joined the Yankees in December of 2023 as part of the blockbuster Juan Soto trade with the San Diego Padres. Make sure to bookmark Yankees On SI to get all your daily New York Yankees news, interviews, breakdowns and more! Insider: Yankees’ Aaron Boone, Brian Cashman in Jeopardy Former Yankees Pitcher Shut Down Before Cy Young Decision Former Yankees Infielder Torched in Epic Pitching Fail Yankees May Have Given Former All-Star Second Chance Yankees Biggest Concern Revealed
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