With the team officially eliminated from postseason contention for the second consecutive year, the Calgary Flames organization can now truly set their sights on next season. The 2023-24 campaign hasn’t been a total and complete failure, with rookie general manager Craig Conroy swinging some solid trades and recouping assets necessary for a re-tool. The on-ice product, however, left fans with much to be desired. The team is seemingly still stuck in a lull and hasn’t moved on from the Johnny Gaudreau/Matthew Tkachuk era. The upcoming 2024 NHL Draft will be the first in which the Flames have multiple first-round picks since 2013, and will be the first big domino in what should be an eventful offseason.
Related: Calgary Flames Have Monumental Draft Ahead of Them
Free agency will bring big decisions for the future of the franchise as well. Conroy and company will have to determine if they want to rely on their youth and only pick up some depth options, sign rentals for future trades, or make a big splash or two. The 2024 class isn’t laden with too many top-quality players, but is headlined by an individual that could be perfect for the Flames. Florida Panthers first-line centre and NHL All-Star Sam Reinhart is due for a new contract this summer. Could the Flames convince the North Vancouver native to come back to Western Canada to play? Let’s analyze his body of work, what makes him a potential fit for the Flames, and why the team should make a push to sign him.
Reinhart’s On-Ice Superiority
Reinhart was originally drafted by the Buffalo Sabres with the second-overall pick back in 2014. He would go on to play the next seven seasons with them, recording 134 goals and 295 points in 454 contests whilst never playing in the playoffs. As a restricted free agent unsure of whether to re-sign or not, he would be part of a huge trade to the Florida Panthers in the summer of 2021. Highly-ranked goalie prospect Devon Levi and a 2022 first-round pick were sent to the Sabres in return. The Panthers promptly inked him to a three-year contract worth $6.5 million per season. He has more than earned that price tag; in his three seasons with the squad, he has scored at least 31 goals and 67 points in each. In the current 2023-24 season with his contract expiring, he has stepped up his game to the tune of a whopping 55 goals and 92 points in 81 games, both career-highs.
A natural centre, Reinhart has been playing the wing on the Panthers’ top line alongside Aleksander Barkov and Vladimir Tarasenko this season. Something has clicked for the 28-year-old, as he sits second behind only the other-worldly Auston Matthews in goals scored league-wide. He has put 229 pucks on net and has authoured a ludicrous 24% shooting percentage which is tops in the NHL. No one has more than his 27 power play tallies, and he is in a five-way tie for second in game-winning goals with 10. He has also dominated puck possession as evidenced by his 58% Corsi For rating at even strength. However, he isn’t a one-trick pony; he plays some quality defence as well. He starts 43% of his shifts in the defensive zone, heads the Panthers’ shorthanded unit, has thrown 74 hits, blocked 66 shots, and has an impressive 40 takeaways.
Why Come to Cowtown?
So, why should Reinhart leave the warm, sunny beaches of Sunrise to come to a frozen barren wasteland? Well, we can think of a couple of reasons. To start, the Reinhart family has a pretty rich history within Flames folklore. Reinhart’s father was Paul Reinhart, one of the greatest defencemen in franchise history. He was actually an Atlanta Flames draft pick who moved with the team and played the next eight seasons in Alberta. Paul was traded to the Vancouver Canucks in 1988, where Sam was born seven years later. Reinhart Sr. is still fourth all-time in points by a Flames defenceman, with 398 in 438 games. In addition, Sam’s older brother Max Reinhart was a 2010 third-rounder via the Flames but ended up playing in 23 games with the team, scoring one goal and five points. Surely both dad and brother would have some nice things to say about being a Flame.
Another aspect is pay; Calgary has an approximate $19 million of cap space this offseason with just five roster spots to fill, whereas the Panthers have $20 million but a colossal 13 roster spots empty. The Panthers also need to save pennies with stars like Brandon Montour, Aaron Ekblad, and Carter Verhaeghe needing contracts within the next calendar year. Reinhart would get solid term and money, and undoubtedly become the focal point of the Flames’ forward core. He would get top-line duties and a nice shiny number-one power play spot. There would be no more playing second or third fiddle behind other stars like Barkov or Tkachuk. The Flames are also in desperate need of a game-breaker; they don’t really have someone they can confidently deploy while in need of a goal. Reinhart would keep the Flames’ red-hot power play firing and his high level of finishing could potentially re-ignite the playmaking of Jonathan Huberdeau.
In conclusion, Reinhart will be heavily sought after by every NHL team and the Flames should be prepping their best pitch possible. There are more than just the reasons listed here for why he would be best suited to become a Flame. His play on the ice is impeccable and seemingly getting better as he hits his prime. The Reinhart name has already been on the back of a Flames sweater twice, he can get a fair contract, and be the team’s go-to player. Here’s to hoping we see Reinhart scoring 55 goals for the Flames in 2024-25.