Sam Reinhart's humble beginnings

With the Stanley Cup Finals under way, it is remarkable how many former Buffalo Sabres are participating in the series. Currently, six Florida Panthers and one Edmonton Oiler were all wearers of the blue and gold at some point in their career. One such player is Sam Reinhart.

Buffalo drafted Reinhart in the 2014 NHL Draft. Alternating from right wing to center, the young player quickly became one of the premiere goal scorers for the Sabres. Reinhart had at least 40 points in each of his seasons with Buffalo.

This included the 2018/2019 campaign, which saw the young star find the back of the net 22 times. In addition, he had 43 assists. He finished the year with 65 points, his highest total while playing in Buffalo. Reinhart was a part of an impressive group of centers with Jack Eichel and Ryan O'Reilly, who were all on the roster at the time.

The center had two hat tricks while with Buffalo. His first occurred on January 10, 2016 against the Winnipeg Jets. Sam's final goal was an empty netter securing a 4-2 victory at the Canada Life Centre in Winnipeg.

His second hat trick came in 2018 against the Florida Panthers in a 7-4 victory. The 2018 season may have been his strongest with Buffalo as he achieved career highs in both power play points and goals.

Reinhart was traded from Buffalo to the Panthers during the 2021 offseason. Since leaving Buffalo, he has had at least 60 points in each of his three seasons with Florida. This year while leading them to the Stanley Cup Finals, he had 57 goals and 94 points on the year.

If he does hoist the Stanley Cup, it will continue a disturbing trend for Sabres faithful. O'Reilly, Eichel and Zach Bogosian have hoisted the Cup since leaving Buffalo.