Sam Reinhart continues hot start, on pace for career season ahead of pending free agency
Reinhart is on pace for a career season while in the final year of his contract with Florida
Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports - Sam Reinhart continues hot start, on pace for career season ahead of pending free agencyFlorida Panthers forward Sam Reinhart has been enjoying an extremely productive start to his season.
The 28-year-old is playing in his third season with the Panthers after being acquired in during the 2021 NHL Draft in exchange for a first-round pick and goaltending prospect Devon Levi.
A restricted free agent at the time of the deal, Reinhart would sign a three-year, $19.5 million contract with Florida a few weeks later.
Reinhart's tenure with the Panthers have produced the two most successful seasons, both in terms of personal scoring production and overall team achievement, of his nine years in the league.
He's logged the two best point goal and point totals of his career, and his only Stanley Cup Playoff action has come with the Panthers.
So far this year, however, Reinhart has come out of the gate unlike any season before.
After picking up a pair of assists during Florida's 5-4 overtime win over the Columbus Blue Jackets on Monday night, Reinhart is up to a team-leading 13 points.
His eight goals, seven of which came in a five-game span, also pace the Panthers.
Reinhart also has six multi-point outings. He's played 11 games.
Digging a bit deeper into Reinhart's advanced metrics, those numbers tell a similar story.
Possession-wise, he's trending toward career numbers in terms of 5-on-5.
He's been on the ice for nine Florida goals and only two for the opponent, a goals-for percentage of 81.82, per Natural Stat Trick.
In terms of high-danger scoring chances, the numbers are tilted in Florida's favor 31-22 with Reinhart on the ice, but as for the high-danger goals that have come from those chances, the edge goes to Reino and the Cats by a 6-0 margin.
With 13 points through the first 11 games of the season, Reinhart is currently on pace for what would be a career-high 97 points.
His current career-best – which came during Florida's 2021-22 Presidents' Trophy-winning season in which they also led the league in scoring – is 82 points.
Now to be fair, Reinhart is also currently on pace for a 60-goal season, which would obliterate his career high of 33, which also came during that 21-22 season.
Regardless, Reinhart is entering what should be the prime years of his career and he appears to be playing the best hockey of his life.
Considering he's set to be an unrestricted free agent after this season – an offseason where the NHL's salary cap is expected to get its biggest boost in several years – it would seem the stars are aligning in Reinhart's favor.
To his credit, Reinhart has expressed a genuine desire to sign a contract extension and stay with the Panthers.
"They know I want to be here, I know they want me here," Reinhart told Florida Hockey Now in early September. "We have no problems sort of waiting it out so I am just looking forward to the start of the season being here. We have both expressed our interests and our desire for me to be here. And that’s exciting."
The Panthers are going to have plenty of money to spend when the summer arrives.
Florida has a total of nine players on its current roster that are signed past this season: Sasha Barkov, Matthew Tkachuk, Aaron Ekblad, Sergei Bobrovsky, Sam Bennett, Carter Verhaeghe, Evan Rodrigues, Niko Mikkola and Eetu Luostarinen.
Not on the roster, but also signed past this season, is goaltender Spencer Knight. There are also restricted free agents like Anton Lundell and Josh Mahura to consider, but big picture, the Panthers will have spots to fill and space under the cap.
Where Reinhart fits into Florida's future plans is something we'll have to wait and see to find out, but considering the year he's having so far, he could be making that decision both easier and more difficult at the same time.
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