The Florida Panthers have finished their first month of the season as defending Eastern Conference champions. They currently sit at 6-4-1 with 13 points, sitting two points behind the Detroit Red Wings for third in the Atlantic Division, and are tied for the second wild card spot behind the New York Islanders.
One big reason Florida has found themselves winning games has been the red-hot forward in Sam Reinhart as he’s off to a great start to his 2023-24 campaign. He is showing everyone why he deserves a new contract.
Red-Hot Reinhart
The 27-year-old West Vancouver native has had a fantastic first 11 games. He’s scored eight goals and assisted on five others for a total of 13 points on the season. His six goals through his first five games is the second-best start in franchise history behind the “Russian Rocket”, Pavel Bure, who had seven in his first five.
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In the month of October alone, he tallied at least a point in all but two games and had five multi-point games. Additionally, he had a five-game goal streak from Oct. 14 through Oct. 24, scoring seven in that span. Because of that, he was named the NHL’s Third Star of the Week.
His goal total leads all Panthers and is tied for third in the NHL while his point total also leads the team. The player that is the closest to him is Carter Verhaeghe and he has only found the back of the net three times this season.
Coaches & Teammates Love the Season Reinhart is Having
His electric start to the season has turned the heads of his teammates and his coaching staff. As a result, they offer nothing but praise for the former Buffalo Sabre.
“He’s continued to improve himself every year…He worked incredibly hard this summer to be one of our fittest athletes. You can tell he’s got the legs, he’s driving.”
Panthers head coach Paul Maurice on Sam Reinhart’s impressive start to the season.
But for Reinhart, it’s just simply business as usual
“Just trying to find open ice around the net…It’s kind of falling for me. It’s just nice it’s early in the season.”
Sam Reinhart on his fantastic start to the season.
Is Reinhart Getting a New Deal in Florida?
As previously mentioned, this is a contract year for Reinhart as his current deal with Florida is set to expire this offseason. As of now, he makes $6.5 million per season. With his production, he could very well receive a raise as he is deserving of such.
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However, according to Kevin Weekes of ESPN, the Cats intend to look at extending offers to defensemen Brandon Montour and Gustav Forsling. This could make Reinhart a potential cap casualty. In addition, getting his first deal squared away when he was traded here did not come easy. General manager Bill Zito more than likely wants to keep him around, but the answer to that mystery is still up in the air.
Reinhart is Making His Mark in South Florida
Regardless of how this turns out in the future, this is much needed to get Florida jump-started on their season. The Panthers struggled in 2022-23 with a rough start to the season and it nearly cost them the postseason. If they continue the course, they could find themselves back in the dance.
And if fans remember last year, anything can happen in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. This time, it could mean the history they’ve been waiting 30 years to happen.
