Sam Reinhart traded to Florida Panthers as Buffalo Sabres continue roster purge

The Florida Panthers continue to build a strong team by acquiring Sam Reinhart from the Buffalo Sabres, and they didn’t have to give up a lot to do so.

The NHL has produced some fireworks over the last 48 hours with several blockbuster trades, including Seth Jones being traded to Chicago, drama from the Entry Draft, and now another big trade going down in the Atlantic division.

As day two of the NHL Entry Draft raged on, the Panthers and Sabres wrapped up a deal that was first reported last night, that sent Sam Reinhart to Florida in exchange for a 2022 first round pick and goaltending prospect Devon Levi.

Reinhart is still an unsigned RFA, and the Panthers will need to sign him to a new contract before the season begins.

Florida Panthers get Sam Reinhart in a steal from Buffalo Sabres

The Panthers are getting an outstanding addition to their forward core in 25-year-old Sam Reinhart. Despite being stuck on the underwhelming Sabres since being drafted second overall in 2014, Reinhart has consistently produced 20 goal seasons, with last season being one of his best with 25 goals in 54 games, matching his career-high in 28 fewer games.

Reinhart will be able to plug right into the Panthers’ top six, either alongside Alex Barkov or Sam Bennett and make an immediate impact. Add this alongside the other outstanding work that Bill Zito has done since being hired last offseason, and the Panthers suddenly have become a force to be reckoned with in the Atlantic division, and their 24 season playoff series win drought could be coming to an end soon.

As for Buffalo, this is an underwhelming return for a player that’s reportedly been sought after by just about the entire league, especially considering that Florida is a division rival for them. Considering the haul they just got for Rasmus Ristolainen just a day prior, it makes it all the stranger that this all they were able to get for a player of Reinhart’s caliber.

If things pan out for the Panthers the way they’ve been shaping up, that pick will likely come in the latter stages of the first round, but can still possibly yield a quality player with how deep next year’s draft is rumored to be. Levi is a 7th round pick from last year’s draft that had an outstanding year in the CCHL and the WJC to help lead Canada to a silver medal. There’s a chance that both assets can turn into NHL contributors down the line, but there’s also an equal chance that they don’t at all. Regardless, a player like Reinhart should’ve been able to fetch at least another additional asset in return for Buffalo.

The Sabres have now dealt Reinhart and Ristolainen in the last two days, and now have just Jack Eichel remaining on their trade board before next season. Between the outstanding return for Ristolainen and the underwhelming return for Reinhart, the bigger picture evens out in the end for now. The Eichel trade will be the true determining factor for how well the Sabres do during this teardown period, and if they can finally ice a competitive hockey team at some point down the line.