Sam Reinhart, the 24-year-old forward for the Buffalo Sabres, is entering the most crucial free agency period of his career thus far. What needs to happen?
Sam Reinhart has been a consistent forward for the Buffalo Sabres over the past five years and it would be nice to see that continue. The numbers might not jump off the board, but they’re the type of numbers you want from a young winger — who also has the ability to play down the middle.
He has reached the 20-goal mark in four of his past five seasons, eclipsing 25 in 2017-18. He added 22 goals this past season through 69 games and would’ve had a chance at a career-high if the season wasn’t shortened. He also has 145 assists over the past five years with Buffalo.
His 36 power play goals and 75 power play points are admirable, especially with Victor Olofsson and Jack Eichel also producing on the man advantage.
In addition to his scoring and playmaking abilities, Reinhart has been as reliable as anyone when avoiding injuries. He only missed 6 games in the past five years and — wait for it — they came in his first two full seasons with the team from 2015-2017. Since then, he’s been ready to play every night.
Personally, I like the way he competes. He’s much more mature than he was several years ago and while he’s still waiting to have that 30-goal season, I think it’s coming. He’s on a line with two other young players that love to compete just as much as him. It’ll make for a dominant line yet again next season.
Of course, the Buffalo Sabres need to work out a new contract before that can happen. Sam Reinhart is a restricted free agent this offseason and is eligible for arbitration if a deal can’t be reached.
In my opinion, a deal needs to be reached if the Sabres want to keep him on the roster long-term. If not, it could give Reinhart reason to take his first opportunity out of Buffalo — which could be in 2026 as an unrestricted free agent if he plays his cards right.
Ideally, the Buffalo Sabres wouldn’t wait long before inking a long-term deal. They can do another bridge deal and even a one-year contract to give them more cap room to use elsewhere, but again, you risk him losing interest. The last thing we need is for Buffalo to screw this up in a critical offseason — Kevyn Adam’s first.
So, what do I think a new contract should look like? While I think a five-year deal is feasible for both parties, I’m leaning more towards a four-year deal with a cap hit of $7.0-$7.3 million. I think anything above $7.5 million is starting to get too high, while anything below $7.0 million won’t be of interest to Reinhart.
Since Reinhart has proven to be consistent, the four years gives us production in the future from someone with good chemistry alongside Eichel — which reminds me, those trade rumors need to stop. Of course, it also gives us four more years to see if he can take that next step — say a 30-goal season or a 70-point season.
Personally, I think there’s a chance we see that this upcoming season, which is why we need to act with a sense of urgency when signing his new contract.
If a long-term deal can’t be reached, a one-year deal is expected with or without arbitration.
What about you, Sabres’ fans? What do you think Sam Reinhart deserves this offseason? Better yet, what do you think he will get? Will he have to go the arbitration route or will Kevyn Adams make it happen quick?
Only time will tell.
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