The Florida Panthers enter the offseason with a bitter taste in their mouth. They came just short of winning the oldest trophy in North American sports as they dropped the Stanley Cup Final in five games to the Vegas Golden Knights.
They made a number of small signings both in the forward and defensive departments such as forward Evan Rodrigues and defenseman Oliver-Ekman Larsson. Those moves leave the team with only a little more than $300,000 in cap space to play with.
This season, forward Sam Reinhart is in the final season of his current three-year deal. Even though it’s further down the road, this could be a big situation considering the money Florida currently has.
Reinhart is Going to Want a Pay Raise
Over the past two seasons, Reinhart had easily the best time of his career. In the 2021-22 season, he hit a new career high in goals with 33, assists with 49, and overall points with 82. In addition, he scored his first career playoff goal after not making a single postseason appearance with the Buffalo Sabres in seven straight seasons.
Through his two seasons with the Cats, he has scored 64 goals and 85 assists through 160 games. In the playoffs, he found the back of the net 11 times and tallied six assists through 31 playoff appearances.
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Currently, Reinhart makes $6.5 million a year. With the massive impact he’s made in the Panthers lineup both in the regular season and postseason, he’s more than likely going to want a higher average annual value (AAV) around the $7 or $8 million range. It’s not too farfetched considering how long it took to get his first contract in Florida taken care of once the trade was initiated.
Could Reinhart Be Traded?
There is always the possibility of a trade. Since free agency started, Reinhart has been the subject of trade rumors. As previously mentioned, the Panthers made a ton of moves on defense. However, they have expressed interest in Calgary Flames defenseman Noah Hanafin. Getting $6.5 million off of the books would not only cover the deal to bring in Hanafin, but it also gives them an extra $1 million to make another small signing as Hanafin’s contract is worth $4.95 million AAV.
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In addition, general manager Bill Zito has shown that he’s not afraid to trade a top-six forward for cap space as evidenced by his trading of Anthony Duclair just last week. Reinhart could be the next one on the chopping block.
Is an Extension Still in the Cards?
It’s no secret that the front office, coaching staff, and locker room want to keep Reinhart around. And judging by the time he’s had in his two years as a Cat, it’s very likely he wants to continue being a Broward County resident. But it is unknown if an extension is possible or if he’s willing to take a team-friendly deal. Additionally, there could be a ton of big-name free agents on the market next season such as Toronto Maple Leafs forward Auston Matthews and Carolina Hurricanes forward Sebastian Aho.
What Can Zito Do?
All Zito can do is simply wait it out. If Reinhart flourishes once again this upcoming season, he’s going to have to make a tough decision. For now, Zito can enjoy his abilities and see where they take the team. They just came off of arguably their best season in franchise history. Reinhart is hungry to get back to that stage once again. Only this time, he wants to lift it himself rather than watch his opponent do so.