Sam Reinhart has an NHL career-high 39 goals for the Florida Panthers this season entering their game against the Pittsburgh Penguins at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh on Wednesday (7:30 p.m. ET; MAX, truTV, TNT, TVAS).
But for Panthers coach Paul Maurice, it’s the forward’s hockey IQ that stands out the most.
“Next to Ron Francis, he’s the smartest player I’ve ever coached,” Maurice said of Reinhart, comparing him to the former NHL center who was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2007 and is now general manager of the Seattle Kraken. “If there’s something going on on the ice that I’m not sure about, I’ll ask him. Reinhart almost articulates the game the way Ronnie Francis does. He can get to it very quick about what he thinks he’s seeing, whether we’re not breaking puck out the same way, our support’s off or this really works. Then you go back and watch the video, and he’s right.”
Reinhart’s intelligence and production has provided a huge boost for the Panthers (33-15-4), who have won six of their past seven entering Wednesday. They are second in the Atlantic Division, four points behind the Boston Bruins, and determined to get back to the Stanley Cup Final, where they lost the best-of-7 series to the Vegas Golden Knights in five games last season.
Reinhart leads the NHL with 22 power-play goals and has 64 points in 52 games. He’s 18 points shy of the career-best 82 he had in 2021-22, his first season with Florida, which acquired him from the Buffalo Sabres on July 24, 2021.
“It is remarkable. I do not think I have ever seen a player this hot,” Panthers center Sam Bennett said. “It seems like every time he touches the puck, there’s a good chance it is going into the net. A real good chance.
“It is awesome to watch, [and] a lot of fun knowing if you need a goal on the power play or wherever, he is out there. He has scored some massive goals for us this year. It is awesome to see.”
Reinhart showed an ability to score with the Sabres, who selected him with the No. 2 pick in the 2014 NHL Draft. His best season with them came in 2018-19, when he had 65 points (22 goals, 43 assists) in 82 games.
His former teammates know what he’s capable of.
“I think if you ask anyone who's played with him in this locker room, I don't think any of us are surprised; we watched it firsthand,” Buffalo center Casey Mittelstadt said. “He's such a unique player. I think he's so good with the puck, but also so good without the puck.
“I think you see all the power-play goals he scores and just finding the soft area and getting open, using that shot, he's got such a good shot. He's just such a smart player overall. I think that's definitely the best part of his game is his IQ and just knowing where the puck’s going to be and where he needs to be to get it.”
