Sam Reinhart

A week after lifting Lord Stanley's cup, Reinhart cashed in big time with an eight-year, $69 million contract extension that will tie him to the Panthers through the 2031-32 campaign. The two-way winger certainly earned his new deal on the heels of a career year in which he set personal bests with 57 goals, 94 points and 34 power-play points. Considering the 28-year-old British Columbia native's shooting percentage was up at 24.5 percent last season, fantasy managers should probably expect him to regress back to closer to 40 goals during 2024-25. That certainly will keep him at the elite level when it comes to fantasy production - especially with Reinhart being firmly cemented on the first line and No. 1 power-play unit.

After breaking out in 2021-22 in his first season as a Panther, Reinhart's production took a step back last year. He posted his second straight 30-goal campaign - pocketing 31 in 82 games - but his point total fell from 82 to 67. His shooting percentage also dropped to 13.7, his lowest since the 2018-19 season, as he set a new career high with 227 shots. Reinhart has scored exactly 16 power-play goals in each of his first two years in Florida. The 27-year-old winger appears to be locked into his top-line role alongside Aleksander Barkov, making Reinhart a near-lock for 30 goals in a full season.

Reinhart was a solid player in his first half-dozen NHL seasons, all with the Sabres, but it took a move to the Panthers this past year to unlock his true potential. Reinhart finished with career-best marks in goals (33) and points (82), while his 31 points with the man advantage were ten more than any other prior campaign. Florida added Matthew Tkachuk in a trade this past summer, but sent Jonathan Huberdeau back to Calgary in the same deal, meaning Reinhart should once again be locked into a top-six, No. 1 power-play role on one of the NHL's very best teams. It's a situation to target from a fantasy perspective.

Fully committed to only keeping players who "want to be there", Buffalo went out and dealt Reinhart, by far their best player a season ago, to the Panthers in exchange for goaltending prospect Devon Levi and a first-round pick. The last thing Florida needed was another talented forward, but they saw a chance to acquire a guy who has tallied no fewer than 22 goals each of the past four years at a reasonable cost and jumped on it. The only real concern regarding Reinhart is the fact he was a minus-28 last season, but that number is obviously going to improve on a much better Florida team. Still, keep in mind he is fresh off a year in which his shooting percentage was an astronomically high 19.2 percent. Regardless, Reinhart should be good for at least 25 goals and 60-plus points in his new surroundings.

In each of the past three seasons, Reinhart has reached the 20-goal and 50-point marks while steadily logging more and more ice time, including last season's career high 20:38 per game. The 23-year-old playmaking winger should be considered a lock for a first-line role in 2020-21, a trio that will get a boost from the addition of Taylor Hall. While the British Columbia native may not have the same name recognition as some of his teammates, he should be considered a high-end fantasy option given his offensive gifts and role with the man advantage, where he tallied 12 of his 50 points last year.

Reinhart has improved his point total with each season since being selected second overall in the 2014 draft, and he made a sizable jump from 50 points in 2017-18 up to 65 in 2018-19. He continues to be an anchor in the rating department with a career minus-54 mark, but it's hard to put too much blame on Reinhart there given the cellar-dwelling Sabres teams he's been a part of. Reinhart's career trajectory thus far suggests more personal improvement should be forthcoming, and that improvement could be boosted if the team around him can step up, as well.

It's now or never for Reinhart, who has shown only flashes of being a top-tier scorer. Last year was an improvement with a career-high 25 goals and 50 points, but his inconsistency remains an issue, often going long stretches without scoring. At this point of his career, it's likely Reinhart will never be the center the Sabres envisioned, and despite showing some chemistry with Jack Eichel the pair didn't always play together. If Reinhart's production doesn't jump, what you see is probably what you'll get: a serviceable winger who can score 30-30 in his best seasons. Given his lack of elite talent and explosiveness in an increasingly fast game, Reinhart's offensive potential may be capped, making him a high-floor, medium-ceiling pick for fantasy owners looking for breakout players.

The biggest issue for Reinhart is his lack of strength, but he still managed to increase his point total to 47 in his sophomore year, which is a encouraging sign. It certainly helps that Reinhart is considered one of the smartest young players in the game, and his hockey IQ and on-ice awareness allow him to be successful even if he tends to lose puck battles. Drafted as a center by Buffalo with the No. 2 overall pick in 2014, Reinhart has almost exclusively played on Jack Eichel’s right wing, and with both players looking healthy to enter the season (as opposed to last year, when Eichel missed the first 21 games), the 21-year-old could be in line for a true breakout year. He’s already a major factor on the power play, as Reinhart has 27 man-advantage points in his back pocket from the past two seasons.

Playing Reinhart on Jack Eichel’s right wing last year was such a success that the Sabres hinted they might keep their two wunderkinds together, even though Reinhart was drafted as a center. Not the best skater or the most dazzling, Reinhart continues to impress and stymie everyone with his smarts, whether it’s a well-placed bank pass, well-timed line change or simply having a knack for being Johnny-on-the-spot. Despite being hailed as a two-way center, Reinhart scored 23 goals and 42 points this past season as a rookie, just one shy of Eichel’s totals, and posted the team’s best shooting percentage at 13.9. He’s a blue-chip prospect playing on an emerging team and pencilled in as a top-six forward, so don't be afraid to take the plunge come draft day.

Reinhart is a stud, but he’s been overshadowed in just about every situation he’s been in, and that is still the case today. Eichelmania has now swept Buffalo, but Reinhart has the ability to become a point-per-game, two-way center. His hockey IQ is off the charts, and he’s a leader on the ice. And perhaps most impressively, Reinhart thinks the game several steps ahead of his opponents and is always in the right place at the right time in both zones. He’ll push for a job in training camp and has the tools to get one. But the top-six spots are already allocated for other players, and the Sabres will need to decide if they want Reinhart to toil in a checking role in the NHL or play top-line minutes in the AHL. The latter is the best for his career, so his single-year value is limited. But the future is bright for this future alternate captain.

Reinhart is a smart, two-way center who was born to lead. He has X-ray vision, impeccable timing and lethal offensive skills. And his hockey smarts are off the charts – then again, you might expect that given his pro bloodlines. He’s not the biggest guy and he occasionally gets knocked for lackadaisical play. But he’s actually just waiting for the right opening and he just steps right through. TV pundits like to toss around comparisons to Jonathan Toews, but there’s only one of those. But he’s a future top-line center who will make those around him better while delivering a point-per-game pace. But that’s a few seasons away. He’s a great dynasty pick, but you’ll need to determine where he fits on the Sabres before tabbing him in single-year formats.