Sam Reinhart Re-Signs with Panthers

Sunrise, FL – Minutes after the Florida Panthers won their first Stanley Cup in team history on June 24, winger Sam Reinhart told the media “I don’t want to leave. I want to be here.”

Reinhart had just finished the final year of his three-year contract, with an average annual value (AAV) of $6.5 million. The home crowd was still buzzing from the heart-pounding 2-1 victory, but the contract decision loomed over the celebrations, even if some fans did their best to ignore it.

According to Tim Reynolds of the Associated Press, it sounds like Reinhart will, in fact, be staying in Sunrise. 

Reynolds is reporting that Reinhart will make $69 million over eight years with this new contract.

Reinhart was absent from the Stanley Cup parade on Sunday, as he was attending his best friend’s wedding. But he made sure to send his regards to Panthers fans in a Twitter post to social media.

A message from Reino ❤️ pic.twitter.com/teyH6wJEmb

— Florida Panthers (@FlaPanthers) June 30, 2024

Panthers general manager Bill Zito traded for Reinhart in the summer of 2021 in exchange for Devon Levi and Jiri Kulich.

Since his arrival here, the 28-year-old has become one of the top scorers for the Panthers. His 57 goals this past season were just two shy of Pavel Bure’s franchise record. The two players are the only guys in franchise history to score more than 50 in a single season.

One goal stands out among the rest of them, though: he scored the go-ahead goal with less than five minutes in the second period of their Cup-clinching victory on June 24.

Reinhart was also a key part of the Panthers’ power play. Playing mostly from the bumper, Reinhart notched a league-high 27 goals.

Zito and the Panthers will have about $19.5 million in cap space this summer, according to CapFriendly. Florida has 10 other players who will become unrestricted free agents on July 1, most notably defenseman Brandon Montour. Forwards Nick Cousins, Ryan Lomberg, Steven Lorentz, Kyle Okposo, Kevin Stenlund, and Vladimir Tarasenko are also set to hit free agency, along with goaltender Anthony Stolarz and defensemen Oliver Ekman-Larsson and Dmitry Kulikov.