NHL Rumors: Sam Reinhart, Panthers Agree to 8-Year Contract Ahead of Free Agency
Peter Joneleit/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Sam Reinhart is cashing in on his career-best 57-goal season with the Florida Panthers, a season that resulted in a Stanley Cup title.
Reinhart and the Panthers agreed to an eight-year contract on Sunday night, according to NHL insider Elliotte Friedman and The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun.
Tim Reynolds @ByTimReynolds
Sam Reinhart: $69 million, eight years to stay with the Panthers, per source.
The Panthers star trailed only Toronto Maple Leafs star Auston Matthews for the 2023-24 scoring lead with 57 goals in 82 regular-season games.
He continued to serve as a driver of Florida’s offense during the postseason, during which he scored 10 goals in 24 games to help lead the Panthers to the Stanley Cup.
Reinhart spent the campaign skating alongside Aleksander Barkov, who assisted on 33 of the winger’s regular-season goals.
The Panthers will continue to build on that chemistry next season now that the team has locked in both Reinhart and Barkov, who is signed in Florida through 2030.
Reinhart will also continue to rack up minutes on the Panthers’ top power-play unit. His NHL-leading 27 goals on the man advantage last season helped Florida put together one of the most dominant units in the league.
Reinhart led the NHL by scoring on 24.5 percent of his shots last season, so putting together another 57-goal campaign feels like a long shot.
His elite decision-making abilities will nevertheless continue to drive the Panthers’ top line while the team looks to enter the 2024-25 season as a Stanley Cup contender.
