Florida Panthers trade for former No. 2 overall pick Sam Reinhart on Day 2 of NHL Draft

For almost all of the Florida Panthers’ existence, the NHL Entry Draft has been about building for the future. The Panthers have seldom been a real Stanley Cup contender, so almost every NHL Draft has been about finding the young pieces to one day get them there.

Not anymore. Florida is ready to make a title push and sacrificed some future assets Saturday on the second day of the 2021 NHL Entry Draft to land a major reinforcement in the form of Sam Reinhart.

The Panthers traded away a future first-round pick and a prospect to land the 25-year-old Canadian forward. Reinhart was the No. 2 overall pick in the 2014 NHL Entry Draft and one of the only consistent bright spots for the Buffalo Sabres in his six seasons in New York.

The Sabres are rebuilding, and prioritizing Draft capital and prospects to get there after taking defenseman Owen Power with the No. 1 overall pick Friday. Florida, finally, is not.

“Sam has established himself as one of the best playmaking scorers in the league and we are thrilled to be able to add him to our Panthers lineup,” general manager Bill Zito said in a statement. “His competitiveness and hunger to succeed will fit seamlessly with the culture we are building here in South Florida.”

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The Panthers traded their first-round pick in the 2022 NHL Entry Draft and goaltender Devon Levi to Buffalo on Saturday to land the forward. Reinhart was arguably the Sabres best player last season, leading them with 25 goals and 15 assists in 54 games, he’s a restricted free agent and Buffalo is heading into a full-fledged rebuild. The Sabres also traded defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen to the Philadelphia Flyers for a first-round pick Friday and are listening to offers for star center Jack Eichel, Buffalo general manager Kevyn Adams said.

Levi is a fast-rising prospect after Florida took him in the seventh round of the 2020 NHL Entry Draft. The 19-year-old, who now plays for the Northeastern Huskies, started in net for Canada at the 2021 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships, and led the tournament in save percentage and goals against average, before losing to the United States and goaltender Spencer Knight in the gold medal game, but there was no clear-cut future role for him with the Panthers. Florida views Knight, 20, as its goalie of the future after he won a game in 2021 Stanley Cup playoffs.

The Panthers also hope the first-round pick they’re giving up won’t be too high in the Draft. The pick is also top-10 protected, The Sports Network reported, and would become a 2023 first-round pick if Florida winds up in the top 10.

This year, the Panthers had their lowest first-round Draft position ever and used the No. 24 overall pick Friday to take American right wing Mackie Samoskevich, an 18-year-old from the Chicago Steel of the United States Junior Hockey League and Newtown, Connecticut.

They obviously view Samoskevich as a future NHL player with a lofty offensive ceiling, even though he’s headed to play for the Michigan Wolverines and likely won’t join them for years. They’re also, however, balancing the long view with a newly opened window of contention.

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Florida, after all, finished last regular season with the fourth most points in the NHL and want to compete for championships while All-Star left wing Jonathan Huberdeau, star center Aleksander Barkov and star defenseman MacKenzie Weegar are all in their prime. It meant Zito was willing to give up future assets to get a potential top-six forward, just as he did ahead of the trade deadline.

In April, the Panthers traded their 2022 second-round pick to the Calgary Flames to land versatile forward Sam Bennett, who was the No. 4 overall pick in the 2014 NHL Draft. Florida also drafted defenseman Aaron Ekblad with the No. 1 overall pick in 2014, so the Panthers have three of the top four picks from the 2014 Draft.

They also no longer have any picks in the first two rounds of the 2022 NHL Draft. Florida has a core group it trusts and has spent the last few months trying to add to it. Bennett and Reinhart, who are both set to be restricted free agents and likely to be extended, could be long-term fixtures alongside Barkov, Huberdeau, Weegar and Ekblad.

Up front, Florida has a wealth of options to contend for spots on the top two lines. Barkov and Huberdeau lead a group which also includes wingers Carter Verhaeghe, Patric Hornqvist, Frank Vatrano, Anthony Duclair, Noel Acciari, Owen Tippett and Mason Marchment, plus Bennett and Reinhart.

The Panthers also didn’t sacrifice any second-day picks in the 2021 Draft. Florida entered Day 2 with five second-day picks.