Samson Reinhart stood crestfallen and disgusted in Jack Eichel’s locker stall as he addressed the media after Buffalo’s embarrassing 7-1 loss to the Dallas Stars on Saturday afternoon. The home fans, the majority of which were young kids, booed their Sabres off the ice at the end of the one-sided blowout loss.
Lost in the nightmare of his worst NHL season, Reinhart scored his team’s only goal against Dallas. It was Reinhart’s fourth power play goal of the season. Reinhart now has eight goals and eight assists in 46 games played. He’s averaging 15:52 TOI (down 90 seconds per game from last season) and has only 88 shots on goal. Reinhart has been on the ice for sixteen even strength goals against. He’s often-times caught on the wrong side of the puck and is losing wall battles with regularity. Reinhart is a center by trade, however, has lost 61% of his draws this season.
Reinhart will be a restricted free agent in July. The former second overall pick in the NHL Draft has been playing this season without any confidence. Earlier this season, Reinhart played alongside his buddies Eichel and Evander Kane. His up and down play has earned him a demotion to the third line. Like Dan Bylsma, Phil Housley has demanded more from the Reinhart. Housley continues to wait patiently for Reinhart to deliver the even strength scoring that he produced in his first two NHL seasons.
In 2016-17, Reinhart scored 17 goals (9 PPG) and added 30 assists. Of his 47 points, 17 were power play points. Reinhart averaged 17:13 TOI. Reinhart landed 178 shots on goal in 79 games played.
In his rookie season, Reinhart erupted for 23 goals (8 PPG) and 19 assists. Only ten of Reinhart’s points were scored on the power play. He landed 165 shots on goal while averaging 16:50 TOI.
The red alert with Reinhart’s offensive game is that he is regressing rather than progressing. His rookie season saw him score .53 points per game. It increased to .59 points per game last season. This season, Reinhart is creating .35 points per game.
The Sabres are dead last in the NHL goals scored with 103 in 46 games played. Their 2.24 goals per game is the worst in the NHL. Phil Housley needs all hands-on deck contributing to the scoring cause. Reinhart’s absence from the score sheet is conspicuous by his absence.
At age 22, Reinhart has transformed from an organizational building block into a trade block target.
In 213 career games, Reinhart has scored 48 goals and 58 assists and 106 assists. Nice production for a mid to late first rounder. However, Reinhart is expected to produce more. Reinhart was selected second-overall behind Florida Panthers defenseman Aaron Ekblad by former GM Tim Murray in 2014. Phil Houlsey and Jason Botterill are waiting patiently for Reinhart to make the same immediate impact that Edmonton Oilers forward Leon Draisaitl (3rd), Toronto Maple Leafs forward William Nylander (8th) or Winnipeg Jets forward Nikolaj Ehlers (9th) have already made. Draisaitl has played 234 regular season games and has scored 62 goals and 113 assists for 175 points. Draisaitl played a huge role for the Oilers in their 2017 playoff run. In 151 career regular season games, Nylander has scored 37 goals and 69 assists for 106 points. Nylander also played a leadership role for the Leafs in their playoff run last season. Ehlers continues to impress. In 201 career regular season games, Ehlers has scored 59 and 78 assists for 137 points. The Jets are well on their way to the playoffs this spring.
Reinhart has been relegated to a third line role while Draisaitl, Nylander and Ehlers are thriving in their top six roles. There is no denying that Reinhart has NHL-level skill. He is a resourceful, nifty playmaker. He needs to get stronger so that he is no easily knocked off pucks. Reinhart's game will improve dramatically when he develops the needed strength to hold onto pucks to create more zone time to make plays for his line mates.
Reinhart needs to regain his scoring touch. His confidence is shot. He has all the makings of a 200-foot center. Sabres fans are tired of their team’s habitual losing. They can’t keep demanding more scoring from Jack Eichel, Evander Kane, Ryan O’Reilly and Kyle Okposo. Jason Botterill didn’t draft Reinhart. Murray did. Reinhart will be looking for a long -term contract extension in July, however, he hasn’t done anything yet to deserve an eight-year contract extension in the same neighborhood of Eichel’s 8-year, $80 million windfall. At this rate, Reinhart will be lucky to score a two-year, $7 million bridge deal at $3.5M AAV.
The NHL trade deadline is on February 26. A dozen and a half NHL clubs have been scouting the sinking Sabres all season long. Evander Kane is not the only Sabres player the scouts and talent evaluators are doing their diligence on. Reinhart is in the cross hairs of several NHL teams. The San Jose Sharks are looking for a veteran center. The Vegas Golden Knights, Columbus Blue Jackets, LA Kings, St. Louis Blues, Chicago Blackhawks, Anaheim Ducks, New Jersey Devils, Pittsburgh Penguins, New York Rangers, St. Louis Blues, Calgary Flames, and Vancouver Canucks are looking to add a veteran center who can score in all situations.
Reinhart is at a crossroads in his NHL career. He’s no longer a top prospect. He’s a veteran player who has yet to achieve the high expectations that are part and parcel with the responsibilities of being the second player taken at the NHL Draft.
The Sabres are 11-26-9 in 46 games played this season. Their -59 goal-differential is the worst in the NHL. With each and every loss comes more inbound calls and text messages to Botterill’s smart phone. Saturday’s 7-1 drubbing at the hands of Dallas was the low point of the 2017-18 season. After the worst loss of his NHL head coaching career, Housley stepped to the mic and said: “Well, it just really tells me a lot about the individuals on the team”. Housley wasn’t calling out Reinhart. However, he was indicting the entire group of forwards, D, and goalies who showed up late for work for the umpteenth time this season. Housley and Botterill are smart hockey men. They know which players they want to move forward with. They also know which players have become expendable.
Today, Houlsey and his team now board a cross country flight to Western Canada for a three-game roadie that will take the Sabres to Calgary, Edmonton and Vancouver. One wonders if all players will be packing extra suits and ties. The trade deadline is February 26 and Botterill’s phone continues to blow up. Many NHL GMs are searching for solutions to their team’s problems. The NHL standings are smashed together like a beer can at a college kegger. The NHL trade market is percolating. Botterill has players that other teams covet in Samson Reinhart, Evander Kane, Robin Lehner, Chad Johnson, Zemgus Girgensons, Benny Pouliot, Marco Scandella, Johan Larsson, Jordan Nolan, and Nathan Beaulieu. Don’t bother asking for Jack Eichel, Jake McCabe, Rasmus Ristolainen, Ryan O’Reilly, and Kyle Okposo.
Reinhart is a Vancouver native. His father was a reliable foot soldier for the Calgary Flames and Vancouver Canucks.
Botterill is asking for and will receive a huge return of assets in exchange for trading Evander Kane. He can also take possession of other premium assets by trading Reinhart to a contending team now.
Botterill will have a lottery selection in 2018. He will also receive another premium first rounder when he trades Kane. I don’t think it is outlandish to think Botterill can receive a first rounder and a premium prospect in exchange for Reinhart.
Join the Discussion:
»