Atlantic Notes: Reinhart, Bjork, Jensen

While a short-term bridge contract had been viewed as the best option for the Sabres when it comes to RFA forward Sam Reinhart, that may no longer be the case as Jared Clinton of The Hockey News suggests.  The 2014 second overall selection put up a career-best 50 points last season but 37 of those came in the final 38 games of the season.  If the team believes his strong second half is a sign of things to come, it’s may be in their best interest to try to save a bit more by committing long-term compared to doing so in a few years even if it’s the riskier way to go.  However, there’s a good chance that Reinhart’s representatives may point to the deal Dylan Larkin received from the Red Wings (five years, $30.5MM) as a potential comparable which may be more than what Buffalo is willing to pay.  Reinhart is one of the top unsigned RFAs remaining and his could be a case that takes a little while yet to settle.

More from the Atlantic:

• Bruins winger Anders Bjork is ahead of schedule in his recovery from shoulder surgery, notes Kevin Paul Dupont of the Boston Globe. While he wasn’t expected to be fully recovered until the end of the month, Bjork has been training with full range of motion for the last several weeks and will be suiting up in Boston’s entry in a rookie tournament early next month.  With Rick Nash not re-signing with the team, there once again is an opening in the top-six up front and Bjork is expected to be among those battling for that spot in training camp.
• Depending on how some youngsters fare in training camp, Ted Kulfan of The Detroit News believes that defenseman Nick Jensen could be a potential trade candidate around the start of the season. The 27-year-old played a regular role last season for the first time in his career and played relatively well, collecting 15 assists while logging over 16 minutes per night.  He has one year remaining on his contract with a cap hit just over $812K which is certainly affordable for a depth defender while the fact he shoots right would also endear him to some teams as players shooting on that side aren’t in high supply.