Can Sam Reinhart Secure A Buffalo Sabres Roster Spot?

In reality, no roster spot on an NHL team can ever be guaranteed – and that certainly seems to be the case for Buffalo Sabres forward Sam Reinhart heading into the 2015-2016 NHL season, which opens this Thursday as the Sabres host the Ottawa Senators.

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One of the questions leading up to this week’s home opener: will Sam Reinhart be on that opening-night roster?

The plain and simple fact is that the Sabres have a wealth of forwards and only a limited number of spots. At this point, it seems like there’s four players competing for three spots, with one who will simply end up the odd man out. Reinhart is one of those guys, along with Johan Larsson, Zemgus Girgensons and Jamie McGinn.

Some might say “Well, Reinhart’s a second-overall pick! How can you argue that he doesn’t deserve a spot?”

The fact is: he hasn’t earned it. In fact, none of those players have earned that spot, at least not under Dan Bylsma‘s regime. And since he’s the bench boss now, and the Sabres aren’t exactly lacking for talent, there’s no guarantee which way things will go – and just because a player is drafted high, that doesn’t automatically qualify him to make a team.

Say Reinhart does make the cut — how will he do then? Will he prove himself worthy of that roster spot?

Any player is a wild card, especially one with such limited NHL experience as Reinhart. Sure, he’s a second-overall pick. Sure, he has the potential, and sure, he’s been lauded as a top prospect. But what it all comes down to is the question at hand: how will he fare in a full NHL season?

At this point, Reinhart is the most inexperienced of the four that appear to be competing for the three spots. He has just nine games under his belt, all from his “tryout” at the beginning of last season that eventually resulted in his being reassigned to his junior club in Kootenay. Larsson has 68 NHL games experience, while Girgensons (131) and McGinn (366) are the more veteran-type players of the bunch.

Of course, it’s not just about the number of games you’ve played. Every player starts from the bottom, needs to be a given a chance and works his way up. Some make the jump straight from college or the CHL, while others work their way through the AHL over a period of years before earning a call-up. It’s all about the structure of the team, the roster spots that are available, and the coaching staff’s ultimate decision.

In his limited NHL stint, Reinhart registered one assist and two penalty minutes. He also registered three shots on goal and averaged 12.3 shifts per game, playing a total of 93 minutes and 16 seconds.

He returned to Kootenay and had a productive year with the Ice, putting up 65 points in 47 games. His season included 19 goals and 46 assists in the regular season. Sam Reinhart also added nine points (6-3) in seven playoff games.

After his junior year finished, he joined the Rochester Americans and had three assists in as many games, finding small success in an incredibly small sample size at the AHL level.

Should he not make the Buffalo Sabres, Reinhart is eligible to join the Amerks, as he’ll turn 20 prior to the end of the year. He also has yet to burn the first year of his entry-level contract, since he only played in nine games with the Sabres last season.

Regardless of where he ends up playing the 2015-2016 season, Sam Reinhart has a lot to prove. Sure, it’s great that he was chosen second overall last June by the Sabres; that may have been a major turning point in his career, but it’s what he does from this point on that really determines his worth to the Sabres organization as a whole.

The NHL requires teams to submit their final opening-night rosters by 5 p.m. Tuesday, so we should find out Sam Reinhart’s fate for the 2015-16 season very soon.

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