Sam Reinhart To Miss At Least Four Games With Injury
Florida Panthers star forward Sam Reinhart will miss at least the team’s next four games as he manages an undisclosed injury, per team reporter Jameson Olive. Reinhart missed Florida’s game on March 10 with an undisclosed injury, but returned to play in the team’s victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets on Thursday.
Head coach Paul Maurice said Reinhart is currently dealing with “more than one thing,” and when asked about the severity of Reinhart’s injury, said “there’s a big spectrum there.” The Panthers sit nine points behind the Boston Bruins for the Eastern Conference’s final playoff spot, and despite a three-game win streak, appear set to miss the postseason after three consecutive runs to the Stanley Cup Final, and two championships. Reinhart’s injury is likely to further decrease the Panthers’ already slim playoff hopes.
Florida has been ravaged by injuries this season. The list of Panthers currently injured includes captain Aleksander Barkov, star veteran Brad Marchand, top defenseman Seth Jones, and No. 2 center Sam Bennett. Bennett is currently considered day-to-day, and Jones is nearing a return, but the Panthers were also without Matthew Tkachuk for extended time this season. While there are a multitude of factors that have contributed to the Panthers’ on-ice decline this season, perhaps none is more significant than injuries.
With Reinhart on an uncertain return timeline, it’s possible the Panthers will face the decision over whether or not to shut down their star goal scorer for the rest of the season at some point in the near future. There have been no reports of that being the case, but for teams playing out the final stretch of a lost season, those kinds of decisions are not uncommon.
Despite the Panthers’ decline, Reinhart has been his normal self this season, producing at a strong rate (61 points in 64 games) and playing in all situations. He’s Florida’s No. 1 forward in terms of ice time this season, averaging 21:17 time on ice per game, including a significant role on both sides of special teams. While Barkov typically gets the most amount of attention for his two-way brilliance, Reinhart has become one of the league’s most dependable players in his own right.
With Reinhart, and most of the rest of their core, locked into contracts for several years down the line (at least), the Panthers are likely to push forward with the intent of returning to true contention as soon as next season. With an eye towards potentially winning a third championship in four years next summer, the Panthers are likely hoping whatever injuries Reinhart has been dealing with stay confined to this season, and this season only.
Brett Peterson Named GM For USA Hockey For World Championship
- Panthers assistant GM Brett Peterson has been named as GM of Team USA’s entry into the upcoming men’s World Championship, per an announcement from USA Hockey. It will be his second time running the team as he was also in charge back in 2024. Peterson is in his sixth season in his role with Florida. The tournament gets underway on May 15th.
Poll: Who Had The Best Deadline In The Atlantic Division?
While it was a slower day than normal, the trade deadline is now behind us. There were still a good number of impactful swings made on deadline day and in the week leading up to it. Over the next week, PHR will be running a series of polls asking which team had the best deadline in each division. Today, we’re starting out with the Atlantic. Here’s a synopsis of all eight teams, sorted by best to worst points percentage in 2025-26:
Tampa Bay Lightning
It was a relatively quiet deadline season for the Bolts. Despite dealing with several injuries this season, the only trade the team made was acquiring Corey Perry from the Los Angeles Kings for a 2028 second-round pick.
Perry has already registered two goals and one fight since returning to Tampa Bay, adding to his 13-goal, 30-point campaign this season. He’s appeared in five of the last six Stanley Cup Finals, losing them all, giving the Lightning a familiar, hungry, and experienced veteran winger in the bottom-six.
Buffalo Sabres
Although they were unable to acquire defenseman Colton Parayko from the St. Louis Blues, the red-hot Sabres were still one of the most active teams on deadline day. In three separate deals, the Sabres acquired Sam Carrick, Tanner Pearson, Luke Schenn, and Logan Stanley for Jacob Bryson, Isak Rosen, a 2026 third-round pick, a conditional 2026 fourth-round pick, Chicago’s 2026 sixth-round pick, a 2026 seventh-round pick, and a 2027 second-round pick.
Outside of Carrick, the other three acquisitions will become unrestricted free agents this summer, unless Buffalo extends them before July 1st. Additionally, even though they parted with five draft selections in the next two drafts, the Sabres still have 10 picks available, with plenty of time to replenish their cupboard. It was a shift from the big-game hunting the Sabres were expected to pursue, but it was a wise strategy to enhance their depth for the upcoming playoff run.
Montreal Canadiens
The Canadiens were arguably the most surprising team on deadline day. Montreal was active on several fronts leading up to the deadline, yet it was one of the few teams that did not make a single trade.
Although it’s defensible that the team didn’t pull the trigger on acquiring a second-line center, given the asking price for many of them, it was surprising that the Canadiens couldn’t find a way to move on from Patrik Laine. During the Olympics, it was reported that Montreal wasn’t expecting Laine back with the team this season, even if he became healthy. The Kings were one of the few teams interested, but the Canadiens will hold onto him until the summer.
Boston Bruins
Like the Canadiens, the Bruins were another quiet team on deadline day. Although they made a few trades, they were only made to build up their AHL squad, the Providence Bruins.
Unlike Montreal, there were very few expectations around Boston to make a move. A few reports linked them to some of the higher-level names available, though the Bruins are only one year removed from being one of the most active sellers at the deadline. Boston likely could have made some additions to reward the team’s performance this year, but they weren’t in a position to give up significant assets.
Detroit Red Wings
Of all the teams in the Atlantic Division, the Red Wings likely had the highest expectations leading up to the deadline. Over the past two years, despite being in a wild-card spot, Detroit effectively stood pat at the trade deadline, leading many to question the team’s commitment to getting back to the postseason.
Connected to most of the market’s top names, the Red Wings arguably landed the best player of any of their divisional opponents. Just before the deadline, Detroit acquired top-four defenseman Justin Faulk from the Blues for prospect Dmitri Buchelnikov, Justin Holl, a 2026 first-round pick, and a 2026 third-round pick. Earlier in the day, the Red Wings traded Elmer Söderblom to the Penguins for the third-round pick that was eventually sent to St. Louis, and acquired veteran winger David Perron from the Senators for a fourth-round pick.
Ottawa Senators
If only the Senators had gotten league-average goaltending for the first part of the regular season. Because of the lackluster play between the pipes, the Senators are on the outside of the playoff conversation, though they do have plenty of time to make up the ground. Still, it made for a complicated deadline strategy.
By the end of the deadline, the only move of consequence Ottawa made was sending Buffalo’s 2026 second-round pick and a 2026 conditional third-round pick to the Los Angeles Kings for Warren Foegele and a Dallas’ conditional 2026 third-round pick. Effectively, Foegele replaces Perron in the lineup after a difficult start to the year with the Kings. Foegele is only one year removed from back-to-back 20-goal campaigns.
Florida Panthers
Nothing stops a juggernaut like injuries. Although they aren’t mathematically eliminated, it’s highly unlikely that the Panthers will have the opportunity to defend their back-to-back Stanley Cup championships this spring.
According to most reports, the Panthers were thought to have been looking to deal some of their pending unrestricted free agents, but only parted ways with defenseman Jeff Petry with the Minnesota Wild. It appears that Florida is more interested in keeping the group together and hopes for better health during the 2026-27 campaign.
Toronto Maple Leafs
Like every other team, the Maple Leafs aren’t mathematically eliminated from the postseason yet, but it is highly unlikely they’ll continue their postseason streak. Given that, Toronto was thought to be listening to nearly every player on the roster to maximize their potential return.
By the end of deadline day, the Maple Leafs had traded Nicolas Roy, Scott Laughton, and Bobby McMann for Colorado’s 2027 first-round pick, Colorado’s 2026 fifth-round pick, Ottawa’s 2026 third-round pick, Columbus’s 2027 second-round pick, and Anaheim’s 2026 fourth-round pick. Toronto still lacks its top two selections this season, unless they finish fifth overall or higher. However, they managed to re-stock some of their draft capital over the next two years.
Of all the teams in the Atlantic Division, which do you think had the best deadline season? Vote below!
Who Had The Best Deadline In The Atlantic Division?
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Buffalo Sabres 54% (282)
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Detroit Red Wings 18% (93)
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Tampa Bay Lightning 11% (60)
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Montreal Canadiens 6% (30)
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Toronto Maple Leafs 5% (28)
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Boston Bruins 3% (14)
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Ottawa Senators 2% (10)
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Florida Panthers 2% (10)
Total votes: 527
Photo courtesy of Timothy T. Ludwig-Imagn Images.
Panthers Recall Mike Benning
The Panthers announced today that they’ve recalled defenseman Mike Benning from AHL Charlotte. They have ample cap space to make the recall and, with only six defensemen on the active roster and Uvis Balinskis listed as questionable with an undisclosed injury, Benning will likely be making his NHL debut tonight against the Blue Jackets, per George Richards of Florida Hockey Now.
Benning, a 2020 fourth-round pick, was once one of the top prospects in a weak Florida pool. While he was technically on the Cats’ roster to close out the 2022-23 campaign after turning pro out of the University of Denver, serving as a Black Ace on their first of three straight trips to the Stanley Cup Final, he never played. He was sent down to Charlotte in camp the following fall, and he’s remained there ever since.
Slowly but surely, the undersized righty has been improving his two-way game in the minors. Coming in at just 5’9″ and 176 lbs, the 2022 NCAA championship winner would need to simply be offensively dominant to warrant an extended look at the NHL level. That hasn’t happened, at least from the jump. After recording 72 points and a raucous +56 rating in 80 games across his sophomore and junior seasons at Denver, Benning had just nine goals and 26 points in a full 72 games as a first-year pro for Charlotte in 2023-24.
Over the past two years, his points per game have begun to spike. He bumped his production from 0.36 that first year in Charlotte to 0.59 last year, although it’s flattened out somewhat again at 0.55 here in 2025-26. He has made 56 AHL appearances this season, posting an 8-23–31 scoring line with 40 penalty minutes and a +10 rating. That’s still good for the team lead in scoring among defensemen – by a significant margin, too, with Trevor Carrick‘s 18 points in 45 games coming in second.
Now 24, Benning was always viewed as a power-play specialist if he made it to the highest level. With Seth Jones still out of the lineup, Balinskis had actually been quarterbacking Florida’s second unit, so there’s a strong chance Benning steps in there tonight while directly replacing Balinskis on Niko Mikkola‘s right side on their second pairing at even strength.
This is Benning’s last waiver-exempt season. At the end of the year, he will have accrued three professional seasons and will require waivers to be assigned to Charlotte during training camp in the fall if he doesn’t make the roster. Before that even becomes a consideration, he’ll need to sign a new contract. He’s on a two-way deal with a $150K guarantee, which he agreed to after being a restricted free agent for a month and a half last year following the expiration of his entry-level contract. This time around, he’s arbitration-eligible, so Florida has some incentive to get a new agreement done quicker – assuming they qualify him at all. The Cats control him for another three years.
Aleksander Barkov Returns To Practice
Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov appeared to be lost for the season when he tore both his ACL and MCL in his right knee on his first day of training camp. He’s been pushing for an early return, though, and has been doing light skating work on his own as part of his rehab since the end of December. That culminated in Barkov joining the team for a practice session, albeit in a non-contact jersey, for the first time this morning, the team’s Jameson Olive relays.
Florida and Barkov both hoped that if he did push the envelope for his return, it would be with the intent of captaining them to a third straight Stanley Cup. Unfortunately, a wide range of other impactful injuries completely derailed the Cats’ season. They’re not technically eliminated from playoff contention, but, with 19 games to go, are third-last in the East and sit 11 points back of a playoff spot. Their chances of making the playoffs are down to just 1.5%, per MoneyPuck, with a greater chance at winning the draft lottery for the first overall pick.
With that in mind, there’s little reason to work him into the lineup if he’s anything less than 100%. Outside of Sergei Bobrovsky, all of Florida’s core is signed long-term and still has a chance at multiple deep playoff runs with their group. Those long-term hopes will be dashed if Barkov sustains any additional damage or prevents his knee from fully healing, though.
Nonetheless, one of the most competitive individuals in the sport will bite at the chance to get back on the ice, even if it’s for a few ultimately meaningless games at the end of the schedule. It’s incredibly rare for a player of Barkov’s caliber to miss an entire season in his prime. Even the most notable examples this century, Peter Forsberg in 2001-02 and Nikita Kucherov in 2020-21, saw their clubs make the postseason without them and return to be their club’s top contributors on long playoff runs.
Hopefully, the fact that Barkov’s recovery has seemingly gone as smoothly as it has is a promising sign that he’ll hit the ground running in the fall for his age-31 season. He’s won back-to-back Selke Trophies and has passed the point-per-game threshold six times in the last seven seasons.
Panthers Recall Luke Kunin
Luke Kunin’s time in the minors was short-lived. With the roster limit in the NHL now lifted, the Panthers have recalled the veteran, according to the AHL’s transactions log.
The 28-year-old has spent most of the season in Florida but passed through waivers unclaimed less than a week ago, resulting in an assignment to AHL Charlotte. That had him set to see his first action at that level since the 2018-19 campaign, when he was still a prospect in Minnesota’s system. However, that playing time will be capped at one game, as Kunin recorded two assists last night and is now back up with the big club.
Kunin has played in 44 games with Florida this season, his first year with the club. However, he has been fairly quiet offensively, notching just two goals and two assists, by far his lowest full-season output. Unsurprisingly, his playing time has been rather limited as well, as he’s logging just 8:36 per contest, well below his career average of 14:18 per game.
Despite being out of a playoff spot, Florida was a light buyer, so to speak, at the trade deadline. They picked up Vinnie Hinostroza from Minnesota and claimed Cole Reinhardt off waivers from Vegas. Now, with Kunin back up, the Panthers have some extra forward depth to hedge against injuries or if they decide to shut some players down to help get them ready for next season.
Panthers Want To Extend Sergei Bobrovsky, A.J. Greer
Leading up to the deadline, it was believed that the Florida Panthers were shopping pending unrestricted free agents Sergei Bobrovsky and A.J. Greer. Ultimately, neither player was moved, and the Panthers appear intent on keeping them in Sunrise for a while longer.
According to TSN’s Pierre LeBrun, Florida is focused on signing Bobrovsky to an extension. LeBrun later added that the same is true for Greer. Both should be doable since the Panthers will have roughly $15MM in cap space this summer with all of their core retained. The only hangup could be Mackie Samoskevich‘s next contract, as he will become a restricted free agent in a few months.
It’s not entirely known what Bobrovsky’s asking price is for his next contract, but it’ll certainly be lower than his current $10MM AAV. Furthermore, he’s on the wrong side of 30 and will be coming off the worst season of his professional career.
Granted, Bobrovsky has backstopped Florida to three consecutive trips to the Stanley Cup Final and has won the last two. Still, this season, he has managed a 22-19-1 record in 43 games with a .873 SV% and 3.13 GAA. Additionally, his -0.382 Goals Saved Above Expected per 60 is the fourth-worst in the league among netminders that have played in 30 or more contests.
If the Panthers can get Bobrovsky on a two-to-three-year deal, they’ll likely be able to agree with Bobrovsky relatively quickly. Some outlets have indicated that Bobrovsky is seeking a five-year deal, which could be the reason that the two sides haven’t arranged anything sooner.
Meanwhile, unlike Bobrovsky, Greer is enjoying the best season of his career. Over the past two years with Florida, Greer has scored 17 goals and accumulated 39 points in 142 games, along with 381 hits. It’s not a groundbreaking production by any stretch, but Greer offers immense physicality and timely goal-scoring from the fourth line.
Unfortunately, his productivity likely means that the Panthers won’t be able to extend him on a similar salary. Greer is earning an $850K salary this season and is likely seeking to cash in while he can. Still, even if he is expected to sign a larger contract, his salary shouldn’t be more than $2MM.
AHL Assignments: 3/6/25
Today’s trade deadline also has minor-league implications. Players must be on an AHL roster at 2:00 p.m. Central in order to be eligible to play in the Calder Cup Playoffs. As such, teams will be ferrying a large number of waiver-exempt players to the minors this morning and afternoon before recalling them before the end of the league day for cap counting at 4:00 p.m. That allows them to bypass the new rule that players must play at least one game in the minors after being reassigned before they’re eligible for a recall again.
Here’s the rundown of today’s reassignments that will be announced during the blizzard of other moves today:
- The Flames will ferry winger Matvei Gridin to the Calgary Wranglers, Ryan Pike of Flames Nation reports. The 2024 #28 overall pick is in his first professional season and is already beginning to look like a natural fit in the Flames’ top nine, posting seven points through his first 18 NHL games while averaging 14:18 of ice time per night. Gridin’s 4.17 shot attempts per game are fourth on the team after Rasmus Andersson and MacKenzie Weegar were traded away. He’s also got 10 goals and 29 points in 36 games for the Wranglers, but with the Flames’ roster thinning out as they sell pieces off, he’ll be up in the NHL for the stretch run before returning to the playoff-bound Wranglers after the regular season ends.
- The Jets announced they’ve sent winger Walker Duehr and defender Isaak Phillips to AHL Manitoba. Both may find their way back down to Manitoba on a full-time basis before the end of the season as Winnipeg gets some of its IR-bound players back in the lineup, but for now, they’ll serve as depth pieces for the Jets as they potentially subtract more talents from their roster today.
- The Mammoth sent defenseman Dmitriy Simashev to Tucson, per PuckPedia. The 2023 sixth overall pick got into the Utah lineup for the first time since December last night. The rookie has been exceptional in the minors but has just one assist with a -9 rating through his first 25 career NHL outings.
- The Blackhawks assigned defender Ethan Del Mastro to Rockford, per PuckPedia. He’ll be back up after being recalled earlier in the week to replace Connor Murphy on the roster after he was dealt to the Oilers.
- The Penguins have sent down winger Avery Hayes to make him post-season eligible, per Seth Rorabaugh of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. The 23-year-old rookie has two goals through his first six NHL contests over the past several weeks, both of which came in his debut.
- The Avalanche have demoted winger Gavin Brindley to the AHL’s Colorado Eagles. Brindley is in his first full NHL season after being acquired from the Columbus Blue Jackets last year, scoring six goals and 12 points in 47 games, averaging 9:51 of ice time per game.
- The Rangers are making sure that AHL Hartford has reinforcements for the playoffs. New York has reassigned forwards Jaroslav Chmelar and Juuso Pärssinen. The former scored the first goal of his NHL career in a lopsided victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs.
- According to a team announcement, the Vancouver Canucks have reassigned netminder Nikita Tolopilo and defenseman Cole Clayton to AHL Abbotsford. Tolopilo has been a mainstay between the pipes for Vancouver over the last little while, managing a 3-5-2 record in nine starts this season with a .901 SV% and 3.27 GAA.
- Unlikely to make the playoffs this season, the Panthers are making sure the cupboards are stocked for the Charlotte Checkers’ playoff run. The Panthers have reassigned Tobias Björnfot and Sandis Vilmanis, allowing them to remain eligible for the postseason.
- The Kraken have reassigned forwards Jacob Melanson and Ryan Winterton to the AHL’s Coachella Valley Firebirds. The pair have combined for four goals and 19 points in 82 games for Seattle this season.
- According to Bill Hoppe of the Times Herald, the Buffalo Sabres have assigned Zach Metsa to the AHL’s Rochester Americans in a paper transaction. Metsa, 27, is in his first full NHL season, scoring two goals and four points in 31 games, averaging 9:45 of ice time per game.
- The best team in the AHL may be even better during the playoffs. To maintain their eligibility for the postseason, the Grand Rapids Griffins announced that captain Dominik Shine and defenseman Axel Sandin Pellikka have been reassigned in a paper transaction.
- According to Charlie O’Connor of PHLY Sports, the Flyers have reassigned Denver Barkey and Adam Ginning to AHL Lehigh Valley. Barkey has been an encouraging story of late, scoring two goals and 10 points in his first 26 games of NHL action.
- Murat Ates of The Athletic confirmed that the Winnipeg Jets reassigned defenseman Elias Salomonsson to retain his postseason eligibility. Salomonsson has been relatively disappointing for AHL Manitoba this season, registering one goal and nine points in 29 contests.
- Pushing back on the earlier report today indicating that the Canucks had recalled Ty Mueller, Brendan Batchelor of Sportsnet shared that he won’t be joining the Canucks. Vancouver will run with a bare-bones roster tonight against the Blackhawks.
- Missing the playoffs for the first time in a decade, the Maple Leafs are making sure AHL Toronto has additional firepower for their postseason run. According to Lance Hornby of the Toronto Sun, the Maple Leafs have reassigned Easton Cowan and Jacob Quillan in a paper transaction. Despite being a higher-regarded prospect, Cowan only has two games of AHL experience.
- As expected, the Edmonton Oilers have reassigned forward Josh Samanski to the AHL’s Bakersfield Condors to ensure his postseason eligibility. Samanski has been exceptional for AHL Bakersfield this year, registering eight goals and 31 points in 43 games with a +6 rating.
This page will be updated throughout the day.
Florida Panthers Claim Cole Reinhardt
The Vegas Golden Knights will lose one of their bottom-six forwards. According to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, the Florida Panthers have claimed Cole Reinhardt off waivers from Vegas.
Reinhardt, 26, will join the third organization of his career. The Calgary, AB native was selected 181st in the 2020 NHL Draft by the Ottawa Senators, and spent five years playing in the organization before joining the Golden Knights last summer.
Throughout his days in the Senators organization, Reinhardt was mostly an AHL talent. Across his five years with the AHL’s Belleville Senators, Reinhardt scored 54 goals and 131 points in 270 games with 275 PIMs.
Unfortunately, his role as a secondary scorer in the AHL hasn’t translated to the NHL level. He’s played 44 games for Vegas this season, scoring three goals and seven points in 44 games. Across his career, he has registered four goals and nine points in 62 games.
Still, he has remained a physical force. In his 62 career contests, Reinhardt has tallied 123 hits. Since he’s still on the younger side, and can immediately join the Panthers’ bottom-six. Florida is expected to move a few depth pieces ahead of today’s deadline, and Reinhardt will be a stopgap for the time being. He is signed through next season at a $813K cap hit, but will be owed $850K in actual salary.
Panthers Acquire Vinnie Hinostroza From Wild
The Panthers have acquired winger Vinnie Hinostroza from the Wild for future considerations, the teams announced. Michael Russo of The Athletic was the first to report. It clears a bit of a forward logjam for Minnesota, which has already acquired Bobby Brink and Nick Foligno in separate deals this morning.
The Wild could have waived Hinostroza, but if he were claimed tomorrow, he wouldn’t have been eligible to play for his new club in the playoffs since he would have changed teams after the trade deadline. Florida likely won’t be reaching the show anyway, but Hinostroza now at least has the option to suit up if it happens.
Hinostroza arrived in Minnesota off the waiver wire last season via the Predators. He’s in the back half of a two-year, two-way deal he signed with Nashville in 2024 and will be a free agent this summer. The veteran of 460 NHL games had been mostly an AHL call-up option for the past few seasons, but had an exceptional scoring run in Milwaukee last season while on the Preds’ farm that put him back on the map. He broke camp with the Wild last fall as a result and has been a decent depth scoring presence for them this season amid a rash of injuries, posting a 3-7–10 scoring line in 48 games while seeing 10:18 of ice time per night.
With Minnesota’s forward group back near full health and their pair of additions today making him the #15 or #16 forward on the depth chart, it’s unlikely he would have played at all if he remained on the Wild’s roster down the stretch. They’ll instead do him a solid by letting him get some bottom-six reps in Florida, who’s dealing with injuries of their own and are expected to move on from a winger in A.J. Greer today, to keep getting some playing time and boost his chances for a one-way deal as a UFA this summer.