Sam Reinhart is having a career year at the perfect time.
The Florida Panthers are currently one of the top teams in the NHL. At the time of this writing, they sport a 30-14-4 record, and a major reason for their success has been because of the spectacular play of former Buffalo Sabres forward Sam Reinhart.
Reinhart, 28, is having the best season of his strong career in 2023-24. In 48 games thus far, he already has set a new career high with 36 goals (second in NHL) and is tied with Toronto Maple Leafs winger William Nylander for eighth in the NHL with 61 points. With numbers like these, he is keeping up with the NHL's top players, and it is coming at the perfect time.
Sam ReinhartReinhart is a pending unrestricted free agent (UFA), so he is gearing up for a big payday for his next deal. Whether he chooses to stay with the Panthers or tests the market, he will get a far larger salary than his current $6.5 million AAV.
Reinhart is now showing a single sign of slowing down, either. The 2014 second-overall pick currently is riding a 12-game point streak, where he has 13 goals and 17 points over that span.
It is nice to see the former Sabre having such a remarkable season right when he is due for his next deal. It will be intriguing to see how much money and term he gets on his next deal from here.