Atlantic Notes: Stecher, Panthers, Reinbacher

It has been a rough stretch lately for the Maple Leafs, who have gone from a bubble team within striking distance of a Wild Card spot to one that is jockeying for seeding in the draft lottery.  However, while some veterans may be hoping to move on after the season, blueliner Troy Stecher isn’t one of them.  Speaking to Terry Koshan of the Toronto Sun, the pending UFA made it clear that he’s hoping to re-sign with Toronto for next season.  Claimed off waivers from Edmonton back in November, Stecher is averaging just shy of 20 minutes per game since then, providing the Maple Leafs with a nice return on a deal that sits just above the minimum salary.  Given how he has played in Toronto, Stecher could be in line to double his current AAV of $787.5K on the open market this summer should he get there.

Elsewhere in the Atlantic:

• The Panthers were without a pair of forwards as they continued their road trip in Calgary. Team reporter Jameson Olive relayed (Twitter link) that center Anton Lundell and winger Mackie Samoskevich were both banged up on Thursday in Edmonton and are listed as day-to-day.  Lundell sits just one point shy of matching his career high in points (45) set last season so as long as Florida doesn’t hold him out too long, he should have a chance to set a new personal best.  As for Samoskevich, his second full NHL season has been fairly quiet as he has just six goals and 17 assists in 66 contests, not an ideal platform season heading into restricted free agency this summer with arbitration eligibility for the first time.
• Earlier this week, Quartexx Hockey announced (Twitter link) that they have signed Canadiens prospect David Reinbacher as a client. The blueliner was the fifth overall pick back in 2023 and is still looking to make his NHL debut.  Previously represented by Maloney & Thompson Sports Management, the 21-year-old has 23 points in 49 games with AHL Laval this season.  The move isn’t in anticipation of contract talks as Reinbacher still has two years left on his entry-level contract after this one.