There are a couple inches of snow on the ground outside the hotel where the Panthers have parked themselves for two nights in downtown Chicago at the tail end of their latest road trip.
Finding two comfortable chairs in a quiet corner of the lobby following the team's practice on Saturday, Sam Reinhart and I sit down to talk about, among other things, how he felt skating in the 500th game of his NHL career less than 24 hours earlier during a 6-2 win against the Wild.
Q&A: Reinhart on a roll with Panthers
But only a few questions into our conversation, we're interrupted.
Making it a few steps past where we'd set up shop, a random passerby stops himself mid-stride, turns around and points his finger at the high-scoring Panthers forward sitting across from me.
"This guy is a superstar," he says with a smile before continuing toward the elevators.
Perhaps an old friend of his?
"Nope," chuckles Reinhart, raising his eyebrows. "No idea."
Still, the mysterious stranger had a point.
After being acquired in an offseason trade with the Sabres, it's safe to say that Reinhart has been nothing short of spectacular during his first season in South Florida. Moving successfully up and down the lineup, he's third on the team in assists (30) and tied for second in points (47).
Catching fire after coming together with Mason Marchment and Anton Lundell to form one of the league's hottest lines, Reinhart has racked up six goals and 10 assists over his last 11 games.
"He means so much," interim head coach Andrew Brunette said. "He's such a great piece to add. He's been up and down the top-three lines, and he's been bringing offense. Wherever he's playing, things happen. As a coach, that's a great gift to have. We're so lucky to have him."
Shooting the breeze for roughly 10 minutes in the Windy City, Reinhart and I touched on a little bit of everything during our chat, starting with a look back at his earliest days in the league.
OLIVE: Before we get to playing in your 500th game the other night, first take me back quite a few years to your NHL debut in 2014. What do you remember about that game?
REINHART: It was a home game in Buffalo. I think it was against Columbus. I remember there was obviously a lot of excitement. I had some friends that were able to come down for it. I also believe both my parents were there, too. It was a good time all around from what I remember.
OLIVE: Does the fogginess of that memory sort of hammer home how long it's been?
REINHART: *Laughs*]. Yeah, honestly. Even more so for those first nine games that season before I broke into the league full-time the next season. It goes by in a hurry. This is probably the first time since I played in that first game that I've thought back on it. It's kind of a blur.
**OLIVE: It's never easy breaking into the NHL, especially as an 18-year-old. Were there any players that took you under their wing during those first few seasons in Buffalo?**
**REINHART:**Yeah, there were a lot of guys. I think you look back on those teams when I first broke in, and I was really close with a lot of guys, especially the older guys. You look at [Matt] Moulson and what he did, kind of taking care of the young guys. Someone like [Marcus] Foligno, and then someone like Kyle Okposo, who's still one of my best friends to this day. When you look back on guys like that, you just hope to have the same impact down the road on someone else as they had on you. Honesty, it sucks only naming a few guys because you probably leave some out. I think some of my best early NHL memories are from how close those teams were.
**OLIVE: You obviously entered the league with some pretty lofty expectations after the Sabres scooped you up with the second-overall pick in the 2014 NHL Draft. Looking back, what sort of challenges did that present as you were starting out in your career?**
**REINHART:** Even if you're an early pick, it's a lot of luck and timing. At least it was for me. It wasn't the prettiest start for an early pick. There's no question about that. But I think it's all a matter of opportunity and being in the right place at the right time. There were a couple instances early in my career that if one game didn't go the right way or one play didn't go the right way that it could've been a different story. I think that's always something that I'll take with me is that there's a lot of luck involved in the game. It's unfortunate to see on the other end of it that some guys don't get that same break or same opportunity and it's not always their skill level or their talent level or their work ethic that's hindering them.
**OLIVE: What were some of the biggest lessons you learned during your rookie season?**
**REINHART:**I look back on my first year a lot. There was one game late in the year and it was in the third period. I remember I could barely move because I was so tired. It was obviously a massive step up from junior and a massive grind. You kind of learn early in your career what you need to do and what you need to change and tweak. All of that certainly changed my offseason program and my day-to-day program throughout the year. You learn how to adapt. That's what it takes to become a professional. Not just in hockey, but in anything in life.
**OLIVE: Speaking of opportunity, safe to say you've got a good one here in Florida?**
**REINHART:** Definitely.
**OLIVE: Looking at the stellar seasons that both you and the team as a whole are having, did you feel like this was going to be the case when you were traded to the Cats in July?**
**REINHART:**I actually didn't see them much last year until the playoffs since you're worrying about your own thing during the season. But then I started watching some of their games come playoff time. I saw the finish that they had, and I knew the talent level that was there. One of the things that opened up the trade possibility was how badly I wanted to be a part of that. When I got there, the biggest challenge for me was finding my game and how I could help the team.
**OLIVE: During the first few interviews you did early on this season you talked about going through an adjustment period. Was there a certain game when things clicked?**
**REINHART:** It was a very different system for me to jump into. Looking back now, it felt like 100 games that it took me to get comfortable, but it was only shy of 20 games that it really took for me to feel that comfort level. It was a lot different than what I'd done before. I think it shows the trust that we all have in the system that you see it working and you see everyone buying into it.
**OLIVE: Hitting the fast-forward button, you skated in the 500th game of you NHL career the other night in Minnesota. You said earlier that day that you'd started to think a bit about the milestone during the break, but did it cross your mind at all during the game?**
**REINHART:**No, not really [*laughs*]. It's been so many at this point. It's just always another one. But when we got to our hotel here in Chicago, I had some dessert and a card waiting in my room from my fiancée. That was a nice touch.
**OLIVE: That was another game where you, Mason Marchment and Anton Lundell all cracked the scoresheet. Over the past month or so, it seems like that happens almost every game. Compared to other lines you've played on, what makes this one different?**
**REINHART:** Honestly, we're all just reading off each other well. We're supporting and have a lot of communication. I've played on some pretty good lines that have had some rough starts, but I think when we were put together earlier this season there was some of that chemistry pretty early. It took quite a handful of games to get back together after that, but we seemed to pick up right where we left off. I think if you look at our team, we all just want to open everything up and just provide that depth. It can't be easy to defend, especially when you've got Huby [Jonathan Huberdeau] and Barky [Aleksander Barkov] on different lines. It allows us to do a lot as a team. It's been fun to embrace that challenge and try to be a go-to line on a team with so much depth.
**OLIVE: Pretty fun to see Marchment finish off that hat trick against the Wild?**
**REINHART:** It's great to see. He's deserving it right now. It's not just the goal-scoring, not just the offensive play. From me this year, I've seen so much maturity in his game with his decision making and all that. I couldn't be happier for him and couldn't be happier to be part of that line. We're enjoying the day-to-day process of becoming a great line and want to keep on building.
**OLIVE: Now that you and Marchment both have hat tricks this season, is Lundell next?**
**[Video: FLA@CBJ: Reinhart finishes hat trick in 2nd period
REINHART:* I hope so! He's one of the best I've seen kind of coming through in the offensive zone and finding soft areas and finding the holes. The puck seems to find him. Hopefully his day is coming.
OLIVE: You talked earlier about all the veteran mentors you had during your rookie season. Do you feel like you're starting to take on a role like that with Lundell?
REINHART:[Laughs*]. You probably picked a bad example because he's probably the most-experienced 20-year-old that I've ever been around. You look at a lot of those Finns and they're so mature when they come over. His presence has been great to see. It's almost comical how mature he is and the presence he has in the room. You love to see it. But if he needs anything, I'm here to help.
OLIVE: While there's still lots of hockey left to be played in the second half, the Panthers look like a team destined to not only make the playoffs, but potentially make a deep run. As someone that's yet to play in the postseason, how much does that idea excite you?
REINHART:Of course it's been on my mind a lot. But we've had two tough games, very heavy games since coming back from the break against Carolina and Minnesota. I think that helps with keeping a narrow focus and not looking too far ahead. Those are the games you want to be a part of in the second half and leading into the end of the year. Those kinds of nights and those challenges make it easier to just focus on the present and embrace that challenge. I think those games help you get more comfortable in those tougher situations. That will help us later on.
