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Sam Reinhart

Panthers’ Sam Reinhart, Niko Mikkola, A.J. Greer In For Game 5

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May 28: All three players are returning to the lineup tonight after the Panthers dropped Game 4 by a score of 3-0 without them, Maurice told reporters, including Michael Russo of The Athletic, this morning.

May 26: Panthers star winger Sam Reinhart, who already missed Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Final because of a lower-body injury, will remain out for Game 4 tonight, head coach Paul Maurice told reporters (including Eric Engels of Sportsnet). Defenseman Niko Mikkola and winger A.J. Greer, who sustained upper-body and undisclosed injuries in Game 3, respectively, will also miss the potential conference championship-clinching game and are day-to-day, Maurice said.

Reinhart exited Game 2 in the first period due to a hit from Hurricanes center Sebastian Aho and didn’t return. Maurice said yesterday that Reinhart had neither been ruled out nor cleared for Game 4, while Greer and Mikkola weren’t expected to miss time. The latter statements jumped the gun.

Luckily for them, the Panthers have built up a 3-0 cushion in the series to limit the potential effects of their absences (and, if all goes well tonight, allow everyone time to get healthy for Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final). They already won once without Reinhart, cruising to a 6-2 win in Game 3 with a third-period scoring explosion. The 29-year-old has been good but not overly dominant in this year’s playoff run, posting four goals and 11 points in 14 games after scoring 10 goals in 24 playoff games in last year’s Stanley Cup win.

But Mikkola played a massive role in that win, scoring a pair of goals, including the game-winner. After the best regular season of his career, the 6’6″ Finn has further solidified his status as a high-end second-pairing option in the playoffs, posting five points and a plus-six rating while averaging north of 19 minutes per game. With the Panthers having fewer quality depth options on the blue line outside of their usual lineup compared to their forward group, his absence will be a little more difficult for Maurice to deal with as he tries to sweep Carolina in the ECF for the second time in three years.

Jesper Boqvist, who’s been the 13th forward this postseason but still has five points in his last three appearances, will remain in the lineup in Reinhart’s stead. Maurice said that rearguard Uvis Balinskis will replace Mikkola in the lineup while depth center Nico Sturm enters the lineup for the fourth-liner Greer.

Panthers Notes: Jones, Reinhart, Mikkola, Greer

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Seth Jones has played up to his ceiling as a top-pairing defenseman in the Panthers’ playoff run. On the verge of advancing to their third straight Stanley Cup Final, Jones has six points and a +11 rating in 15 games while averaging the most minutes per game of any Florida skater, by far, at 25:20 per night.

Rejuvenated after being acquired from the Blackhawks before the deadline, Jones’ game is back to where it was during the heights of his career several years ago with the Blue Jackets. He spoke to Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun-Times last week about the transition from being the minute-munching option on a rebuilding Hawks team to being back in a competitive environment in Florida.

“It definitely feels like there’s some pressure off [me] after the trade,” Jones told Pope. “In Chicago, I was just forcing things and trying to do too much – out of my realm, to be honest. It was always hopefully for the betterment of the team, in my opinion, [even though] it didn’t always turn out that way or look that way. But here, I can just play my game.”

“This system forces the defensemen to get up, gap up, be tight and force [opposing] wingers to make plays under pressure,” Jones continued – all obvious strengths of his game throughout his 12-year career. “Everyone is responsible and understands their job.”

There’s more out of Florida as they gear up for a potential series-clinching Game 4:

  • Winger Sam Reinhart’s status for Game 4 remains in the air after he missed Game 3 due to a lower-body injury, head coach Paul Maurice told reporters (including NHL.com’s Dan Rosen). His day-to-day designation hasn’t changed, and he’s been neither cleared nor ruled out for tomorrow’s contest. He’s been limited to four goals and 11 points through 14 games – significantly below pace compared to last year’s 10 goals in 24 playoff games and this year’s 81 points in 79 regular-season games. Still, he remains Florida’s leader in average time on ice among forwards at 20:07 per game.
  • Rangy defender Niko Mikkola is expected to be available for tomorrow’s game after sustaining an apparent upper-body injury last night, Maurice said (via Eric Engels of Sportsnet). After scoring a goal in the third period, Mikkola appeared to injure his shoulder in a collision with the boards and didn’t play the final 12 minutes of the 6-2 win. Skating primarily as Jones’ partner in the postseason, the 28-year-old has five points and a plus-six rating through 15 contests while averaging 19:19 per game.
  • The “should be good to go” status is the same for winger A.J. Greer, Maurice said (per the team’s Jameson Olive). It’s unclear what ailed him, but he left the bench with just over four minutes left in the game. The fourth-line heavyweight has played in eight straight games after starting the playoffs as a healthy scratch. He’s got two goals and an assist, all coming in his last six games.

Sam Reinhart Listed As Out Day-To-Day

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As the Panthers look to take a stranglehold on their Eastern Conference Final series against Carolina tonight, they’ll be doing so without the services of one of their top players.  Head coach Paul Maurice told reporters including Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald that forward Sam Reinhart will not play and is listed as day-to-day.

The 29-year-old suffered a lower-body injury in the first period of Thursday’s game on a hit from Sebastian Aho.  He left the game and did not return although that didn’t slow Florida down as they picked up the 5-0 victory.

Reinhart didn’t score at quite the same pace as a year ago when he had 57 goals but he was certainly a core contributor this season, tallying 39 goals and 42 assists in 79 games while averaging a career-high 20:30 in ice time, a solid return on the first year of his eight-year, $69MM contract signed on the opening day of free agency last summer.  He hasn’t been quite as productive in the playoffs but is still seventh in team scoring with four goals and seven assists in 14 games.

In Reinhart’s absence, winger Jesper Boqvist will return to the lineup.  He has played in nine playoff games thus far and has a goal and an assist, both coming in the same game in the Toronto series.  Boqvist is averaging just 8:53 per game in the postseason but with Maurice not wanting to change his other lines around, the 26-year-old should be in line for a bigger role as he’ll line up on the top line alongside Aleksander Barkov and Evan Rodrigues.

Aleksander Barkov, Anthony Cirelli, Sam Reinhart Named Selke Trophy Finalists

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Panthers center Aleksander Barkov, Lightning center Anthony Cirelli, and Panthers winger Sam Reinhart have been named Selke Trophy finalists for the 2024-25 season, the NHL announced.

According to the league, the award is given “to the forward who best excels in the defensive aspects of the game.” It’s voted on at the end of the regular season by media members, like most other major NHL honors, and has been in circulation since the 1977-78 campaign, with former Bruins captain Patrice Bergeron holding the record with six wins.

Despite the verbiage, the Selke is almost never given out to a pure shutdown forward, at least not anymore. More of a “best two-way forward” than “best defensive forward” honor in reality, Barkov headlines the list as he looks to take home the hardware in back-to-back years and for the third time in his career.

Now a four-time finalist, Barkov’s boxcar stats actually point toward a down year for the Stanley Cup champion Finn. His 1.06 points per game and plus-one rating were both post-COVID lows for the 29-year-old, but he still added 54 blocks, 87 hits, and a 56.5% win rate in the faceoff dot. A look at his possession numbers makes it easy to see why he’s continuously regarded as the game’s best two-way center, though. His 60.8% Corsi share at even strength this year was a career-high and led the team.

Stepping into the finalist’s circle for the first time is Barkov’s cross-state counterpart in Cirelli. The 27-year-old finished fourth in Selke voting in 2019-20 and fifth in 2021-22 but never cracked the top three. That changes this year on the heels of a season full of career-highs for Cirelli, who scored 27 goals, 32 assists, 59 points, and logged a +30 rating in 80 appearances. His 18:41 of ice time per game was also a career-high. While he doesn’t receive Barkov’s 5-on-5 deployment, Cirelli is Tampa’s top penalty-killing forward and finished seventh among forwards in plus-minus this season.

Reinhart is the unlikeliest candidate to win, although it’s not really in his control. A winger hasn’t won the award in over 20 years – the Stars’ Jere Lehtinen was the last to do it in 2003. The 29-year-old finished just outside of being a finalist last year during his career-defining 57-goal campaign, and his nomination means the Panthers are the first team with two Selke finalists in a season since the Red Wings’ Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg in 2007-08. He finished 2024-25 with a 39-42–81 scoring line, a plus-six rating, 103 hits, and a 59.2 CF% in 79 games.

Florida Panthers Injury Updates

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It’s challenging to think of a team that has dealt with more injuries over the last few weeks than the Florida Panthers. Two weeks ago, the Panthers were the top team in the Atlantic Division. Unfortunately, injuries have limited Florida to a 1-4-1 record in their last six games, watching the Toronto Maple Leafs and Tampa Bay Lightning pass them in the standings.

However, there may be light at the end of the tunnel. Speaking to reporters this morning, head coach Paul Maurice commented on the status of nearly every injured member of the typical roster. First, Colby Guy of The Palm Beach Post reports that captain Aleksander Barkov will return to the lineup for Florida’s important matchup against Toronto tomorrow night. He had missed the Panthers’ past three contests with an upper-body injury.

Barkov’s importance in Florida’s lineup can’t be understated. As one of the premier two-way forwards of this era, Barkov helps the Panthers keep the puck out of their net just as much as he helps them put pucks in their opponent’s net. Since beginning his career during the 2013-14 season, Florida has a 60-63-16 record during the regular season when Barkov isn’t in the lineup.

Guy later reported that trade deadline acquisition Nico Sturm should also return on Wednesday, with defenseman Dmitry Kulikov expected back toward the end of the week. Shortly thereafter, TSN’s Mark Masters shared that Sam Reinhart and Gustav Forsling are also expected back in the lineup on Wednesday.

By the end of the week, Sam Bennett, Matthew Tkachuk, and Aaron Ekblad will be the only regular players who haven’t returned to the lineup. It appears that Bennett will not play in another regular season game for the Panthers.

Senior digital content manager for the team Jameson Olive shared that Bennett’s next game for Florida will be Game One of their Round One matchup, primarily for precautionary reasons. The physical middleman is dealing with an upper-body injury, and the Panthers want him to be as close to 100% as possible for what is bound to be a hotly contested opening round of the playoffs.

Florida has five games left in their regular season schedule, and it will be a challenge to overcome the difficulties they have faced in recent weeks. Currently, they are four points behind the Lightning and six points behind the Maple Leafs in the Atlantic Division. They risk losing home-ice advantage for their Stanley Cup defense. Still, with one game against Toronto and one game against Tampa Bay sandwiched between relatively easier matchups against the Detroit Red Wings and Buffalo Sabres, the Panthers could control their destiny for their opening-round matchup.

Panthers, Sam Reinhart Agree To Eight-Year Deal

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8:33 a.m.: Florida has made Reinhart’s extension official.

6:56 a.m.: The Panthers managed to get top pending UFA right winger Sam Reinhart signed to a max-term, eight-year extension before last night’s midnight ET deadline, per multiple reports (including Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic). As such, last year’s 57-goal man is off the market and will stay with the defending Stanley Cup champions through the 2031-32 season. The deal will carry an annual cap hit of $8.625MM, per Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman.

They ran close to the deadline, but Florida has found a way to sign Reinhart to the maximum extension after a career-defining year on the team’s top line. Reinhart chased history, with his 57 goals the most scored by any Panther in the club’s history, save for Pavel Bure. Reinhart added 37 assists, bringing his scoring up to a career-high 94 points in 82 games. The totals trump his previous career-high of 82 points – set during his first year with the Panthers in 2021-22. But it wasn’t just all offense, as Reinhart also finished fourth in Selke Trophy voting – the first behind finalists Aleksander Barkov, Jordan Staal, and Auston Matthews.

Reinhart achieved his scoring on the back of fantastic shooting any time he came close to the slot. That made him all the more dangerous when he had extra space on the power play, with Reinhart scoring a league-leading 27 goals on the man advantage this year. He kept things hot in the postseason, too, with nine goals and 15 points in 22 games – one more goal and assist than he managed in 21 playoff games last year.

Florida acquired Reinhart’s rights in July of 2021, trading away the rights to goaltender Devon Levi and the first-round selection used on Jiri Kulich. The deal, most notably, freed Reinhart from a middling Sabres team. Reinhart had found success in Buffalo, scoring 20 goals in five of his six seasons with the Sabres and flirting with the 50-point mark. But with little support around him, Reinhart was tasked with the duties of play-driving and even taking faceoffs, pulling him away from the high-tempo offense he clearly prefers.

That role has changed with the Panthers, who have been much more content to let Reinhart play a shoot-first game from the wing. That’s certainly helped along by Florida’s much-improved center depth, headlined by the incredibly quick and always-responsible Barkov. The change has clearly inspired something within Reinhart, who’s posted 121 goals and 243 points across 242 games with the Panthers.

Reinhart now receives the contract of a lineup staple, though surprisingly avoiding the illustrious $9MM figure that many top players are seeking. Only 11 players have scored 50 or more goals in the last five seasons. Of them, Chris Kreider is the only other player not making at least $9MM. He instead carries a very team-friendly $6.5MM cap hit through the next three seasons. Florida couldn’t get so lucky to sign Reinhart to that kind of deal, but they’ll come close by keeping him under $8.75MM.

With a new deal in place, Reinhart is destined for a starring role in Florida for as long as he can hold onto it. Meanwhile, the team will now enter the open market with $10.892MM in cap space. They still need to re-sign restricted free agents Anton Lundell and Josh Mahura – and will still sit three forwards and one defender shy after those deals. That could set them up for a few meager additions on the open market, though strained cap space could have Florida instead looking to promote players like Mackie Samoskevich, Rasmus Asplund, or Michael Benning.

Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.

Free Agent Notes: Reinhart, Ekman-Larsson, Joseph, Lafferty

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Contract discussions between the Panthers and Sam Reinhart appear to be going down to the wire, reports Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic (Twitter link).  The 28-year-old is coming off a career year, one that saw him score 57 goals and 37 assists while playing in all 82 games, setting new personal bests in goals and points.  He didn’t produce at quite the same rate in the playoffs but still managed 16 points in 24 games to help lead Florida to their first Stanley Cup title.  Reinhart is in line for a significant raise on the $6.5MM AAV he had over the last three seasons while getting a max-term agreement.  However, the length of that max-term contract is about to change.  Unless a contract is agreed to by 11 PM CT, Florida will be capped at offering only seven years.  If a deal is reached before that time, they can make it an eight-year agreement.

More free agent news:

  • While the Panthers are hoping to keep Reinhart in the fold, it looks like they won’t be re-signing Oliver Ekman-Larsson, at least not yet. Rick Dhaliwal of TSN and The Athletic reports (Twitter link) that the veteran blueliner will be testing the open market.  After being bought out by Vancouver last summer, the 32-year-old signed a one-year, $2.25MM deal with Florida to try to rebuild his value.  The move worked as Ekman-Larsson had a solid season, notching 32 points in 80 games while logging over 18 minutes a night.  He also recorded six points in 24 playoff contests.
  • Although the Penguins non-tendered defenseman Pierre-Olivier Joseph earlier today, TVA Sports’ Renaud Lavoie reports (Twitter link) that the two sides are still discussing a new deal. The 24-year-old had more of a limited role in 2023-24, getting into 52 games where he had 11 points while logging a little over 15 minutes a night.  Joseph was arbitration-eligible and Pittsburgh didn’t want to give him that option, resulting in him not getting his qualifying offer.  It’s a tactic we’re seeing more of lately with teams then sometimes circling back to work out a deal after.  We’ll see if this is one of those cases.
  • While the Blackhawks asked for the negotiating rights to Sam Lafferty to be added in the Ilya Mikheyev trade earlier this week, Scott Powers and Mark Lazerus of The Athletic report (subscription link) that the veteran will test the market. Lafferty spent parts of two years with Chicago and had discussions on a new deal with them following his rights being acquired but instead will see what’s out there.  The 29-year-old had 13 goals and 11 assists in 79 games with Vancouver after being acquired late in training camp from Toronto.

Panthers Optimistic About Re-Signing Sam Reinhart

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The Florida Panthers are optimistic about their ability to re-sign star forward Sam Reinhart, general manager Bill Zito tells Tom Gulitti of NHL.com. Zito adds, though, that the team may not have enough cap space to bring back both Reinhart and top-pair defenseman Brandon Montour. He said, “We’re going to spend to the cap… I’m going to spend it all, so you want [cap space], and I don’t have it, I can’t manufacture it. It’s frustrating, it’s harder, perhaps, but there’s really nothing you can do.”

The Panthers are entering the summer with $19.52MM in projected cap space and a daunting 13 pending free agents. In addition to Reinhart and Montour, Florida will have to negotiate with Vladimir Tarasenko, Anton Lundell, and Anthony Stolarz. Each of those players could demand chunks of Florida’s remaining funds, especially as Zito says the team’s goal is to bring back as much of their first Stanley Cup-winning roster as they can.

To do that successfully, Florida will first need to get by Reinhart’s contract without spending half of their budget. It seems hard to tell how much the 28-year-old winger could demand on a new deal, after posting a dazzling 57 goals and 94 points this season. The performance was the most goals ever posted by a Panther not named Pavel Bure – and proceeded two 30-goal seasons in Reinhart’s first two years with the Panthers. He’s carried his scoring tough into the postseason, with 20 goals and 32 points in 53 playoff games since joining Florida in 2021. Reinhart also carries draft precedent, having gone second overall in 2014. While that latter point may not be much reason to pay him more, it could be reason to not pay him less.

An ideal world could see Reinhart sign a deal similar to the eight-year, $72MM deal former teammate Jeff Skinner just had bought out by the Buffalo Sabres. Skinner doesn’t seem to be in much of a place to vindicate the deal’s second half but it was enough to control him through strong seasons with the Sabres. Reinhart, who has performed at a higher and more consistent level than Skinner, could make a structure like this look much better, likely won’t be as quick to fall off; though Skinner’s buyout could be a good forewarning to the Panthers to avoid long term.

That structure would leave Florida with just over $10MM for the rest of their summer. That certainly won’t be enough to make all of the moves they’d surely like to make, including bringing back Montour after a career-high 73 points last season. Montour brought that scoring back to 33 points this year, though he’s still commanded a prominent role in Florida’s top-four. The Panthers have been rumored to be shopping around star defenseman Aaron Ekblad, which would open the cap space to move forward with Montour and Gustav Forsling as a top pair.

But even that could be a tall order as teams face more cap headaches than anyone wants. Florida is among the most stressed, as they look to build back as best of a lineup as they can while sticking to their budget.

East Notes: Reinhart, Vatrano, Pettersson, Salminen

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Panthers forward Sam Reinhart is the top-scoring forward that’s eligible to hit the open market this summer.  With a career-best 37 goals already along with 62 points, he’s well on his way to commanding a significant raise on his current $6.5MM AAV while securing a long-term pact for the first time.  Speaking with reporters including Mike Harrington of The Buffalo News, he acknowledged that talks continue but the fact a deal isn’t done isn’t serving as a distraction:

We both know where each other stands. We both know we want to get something done. And we’re both comfortable with how it’s going, so it’s not distracting me by any means at all. I think when you’re trying to build something we’re trying to in Florida, some things take time. We’re both comfortable, we’re both trying to ultimately win a Stanley Cup this year. And that’s where our focus mainly is.

If Reinhart pushes past the 100-point mark plateau this season, there’s a case to be made that his next contract should be past the $10MM mark.  However, that’d be tough to fit on the books for the Panthers who would likely want to see him slot in at or closer to Matthew Tkachuk’s $9.5MM price tag.

Elsewhere in the Eastern Conference:

  • Ducks winger Frank Vatrano is having his best season, notching 36 points in 50 games already to secure an All-Star spot. With one year left on his contract at $3.65MM and Anaheim in a firm rebuild, some have wondered if the 29-year-old could be a trade candidate.  Speaking to reporters on All-Star Media Day including Forever Blueshirts’ Jim Cerny, Vatrano acknowledged the situation is out of his hands but that he’d prefer to remain with the Ducks.  That said, teams looking for some scoring help on the wing and don’t want to pay a high price tag for a rental will likely be calling about Vatrano over the next few weeks.
  • If the Penguins opt to sell at the trade deadline, Jake Guentzel would obviously receive the most interest. Beyond him, Matt Vensel of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette suggests that defenseman Marcus Pettersson might be their next-best trade chip.  The 27-year-old has had one of his more productive years with 19 points in 46 games while averaging a career-high 22:37 per night, third among Pittsburgh’s rearguards.  With one year left on his deal after this one with a cap hit of just over $4.025MM, he could certainly be an intriguing acquisition for a playoff-bound team looking for more than a one-year rental.
  • Devils prospect Samu Salminen received a one-game suspension from Hockey East for a hit on Friday night, notes Mark Divver of the New England Hockey Journal (Twitter link). The 20-year-old was a third-round pick by New Jersey back in 2021 but has seen his production this season with Connecticut slow down, notching just five goals and five assists in 26 games (after putting up 17 points in 27 games in his freshman year).

Sam Reinhart To Prioritize Term In Extension Talks With Panthers

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In recent memory, few have taken advantage of their pending UFA status like Panthers winger Sam Reinhart. The 28-year-old has exploded in his third season in South Florida, producing at a 61-goal, 106-point pace through his first 42 games. He’ll shatter his previous career highs of 33 goals and 82 points, set during his first campaign with the Panthers in 2021-22.

That production has elevated Reinhart to the title of the league’s best pending UFA, at least with Maple Leafs winger William Nylander off the market. As such, most expected Reinhart’s camp to push for a deal closer to his Toronto counterpart’s eight-year, $92MM deal that carries a $11.5MM AAV. However, in his latest for The Athletic, Pierre LeBrun says that won’t necessarily be the case.

Firstly, he stresses that only preliminary extension discussions between Panthers GM Bill Zito and Reinhart’s agent, Newport Sports’ Craig Oster, have taken place. But, in LeBrun’s words, Reinhart “really, really wants to stay in South Florida,” and that could cause a potential extension to come in below the $10MM-plus AAV mark that some are expecting. While tax advantages in contract signings with certain teams are generally overblown in public discourse, there is a documented history of players taking discounts on market value in no-income-tax states like Florida, Dallas and Tennessee that LeBrun points out.

LeBrun also doesn’t believe Zito would be willing to entertain a deal that stretches into the $10MM range, given the team’s salary structure. The team’s longer-term commitments to their stars are clearly laid out – captain Aleksander Barkov carries a $10MM cap hit through 2030, last season’s team MVP Matthew Tkachuk carries a $9.5MM cap hit for the same length, and starting netminder Sergei Bobrovsky carries a $10MM cap hit through 2026. He won’t be willing to give Reinhart a deal that eclipses any of the above.

However, despite Reinhart being likely to receive offers of $10MM-plus per year from other teams on the open market, LeBrun posits Reinhart may be amicable to Zito’s desires. That’s because he’s likely to prioritize contract length in his discussions, says LeBrun, and it’s easy to see why. While he’s got ten seasons and over 650 NHL games under his belt, he’s never signed a contract longer than three years, and he’s now wrapping up his third deal signed after his entry-level contract expired in 2018.

So, if Zito is willing to go eight years on an extension, that could get Reinhart locked in at a cheaper price than most expected after his breakout year. There’s some recent precedence in terms of team salary structure that could offer insight into what Reinhart’s final extension could look like, too.

Take the Canadiens last summer, who needed an extension for star RFA sniper Cole Caufield after the completion of his entry-level contract. While his 2022-23 campaign was nearly halved due to a shoulder injury, he produced at a 46-goal pace through his 46 appearances. Given he was just in his third NHL season on a rebuilding team, few would have batted an eye if his extension was signed in the $8MM-$9.5MM range per season.

Instead, he took an eight-year deal with a slight discount in the cap hit department at $7.85MM. It was $25K less per season than captain Nick Suzuki, who Canadiens GM Kent Hughes obviously believes should be the team’s highest-paid forward at this stage in their rebuild. While Suzuki and Caufield are a younger duo, it wouldn’t be a far-fetched comparison to project that difference onto the potential difference in cap hits between Reinhart and Tkachuk. Could an eight-year deal worth $9.25MM per season be enough to keep Reinhart from heading to market on July 1?

Zito has a busy few months ahead of him. He also needs to hold extension talks with defensemen Gustav Forsling and Brandon Montour, who are currently locked into a combined bargain price of $6.17MM. Oliver Ekman-Larsson, who leads Panthers defensemen in points at the halfway mark of the season, is also a pending UFA earning only $2.25MM. Getting Reinhart done for seven figures per season would open a precious few thousand dollars to devote to the future of their defense corps.

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