>Reinhart is one of the Panthers’ top penalty-killers. He’s one of their best defensive forwards. He’s a steady net-front presence. He adds lineup versatility with his ability to shift back to the middle when asked. And he’s a leader in the locker room and on the bench. Maurice has pointed out multiple times in the playoffs that when the Panthers stray from the way they’re supposed to look, or there’s a sense the Panthers are starting to sit back during tight moments, it’ll be Reinhart who starts yelling on the bench, imploring his teammates to go on the attack.
>“He’s one of the smartest players that I’ve ever seen,” said veteran Kyle Okposo, who was reunited with Reinhart at the trade deadline after they played together in Buffalo. “I saw it when he was playing with Jack (Eichel), because Jack is somebody that likes the puck on his stick, and Reino thinks the game in such a high-functioning way.
>“You have to be super smart to be somebody who doesn’t need the puck all the time to feel good. And most elite players in the game aren’t really like that. I think that Sam’s biggest strength is, he can play with the puck, he can not play with the puck. He can score three goals and have the puck on a stick for less than three seconds in the whole game. So it’s not surprising to see it work with Barky. Barky is a pass-first guy, so Sam’s going to get in the holes and get open and find ways to score. He’s a legit defensive force, too.”
>Unlike many goal-scorers, Reinhart refuses to cheat the game, Maurice said.
>“He’s like Barkov,” Maurice said. “They don’t have games where you wonder where their heads are defensively. They just don’t. That’s their starting point, always. You have to be on the ice with him to fully appreciate it. It’s almost like you have to be here and you have to watch every game and sometimes you need to be in the building to see it, because of the way the cameras change. The long stack of right decisions he makes every time.
>“He’s not going to cheat the risk profile on the play that’s in front of him to increase his chances of getting a point. Even when we’re down one, he’s not cheating the game; he just continually does the right thing. Highly unusual. Great players anticipate. Good players cheat. The guys who are in that 18-to-22-goal range, they were cheating for that one. His ability to figure out the highest percentage of the right play next is very high.”
>The other thing that Maurice said is unusual about Reinhart is his ability to process the game, know exactly what’s going on and then how to explain it.
>“Ron Francis, I think, is the smartest person I’ve ever talked to about hockey in terms of being on a bench and being able to tell you what happens on the ice,” Maurice said. “And then it’s Sam Reinhart, he’s not far off. They’re not watching the Jumbotron. They’re just wired.
>“Way out of the ordinary.”
>Maurice uses it as a resource, having Reinhart explain from a player’s point of view what he and his teammates are seeing.
>“It’s been incredibly valuable to me,” Maurice said. “If there’s something in our game I don’t like, I go ask him what’s he seeing.”
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>Reinhart is one of the Panthers’ top penalty-killers. He’s one of their best defensive forwards. He’s a steady net-front presence. He adds lineup versatility with his ability to shift back to the middle when asked. And he’s a leader in the locker room and on the bench. Maurice has pointed out multiple times in the playoffs that when the Panthers stray from the way they’re supposed to look, or there’s a sense the Panthers are starting to sit back during tight moments, it’ll be Reinhart who starts yelling on the bench, imploring his teammates to go on the attack.
>“He’s one of the smartest players that I’ve ever seen,” said veteran Kyle Okposo, who was reunited with Reinhart at the trade deadline after they played together in Buffalo. “I saw it when he was playing with Jack (Eichel), because Jack is somebody that likes the puck on his stick, and Reino thinks the game in such a high-functioning way.
>“You have to be super smart to be somebody who doesn’t need the puck all the time to feel good. And most elite players in the game aren’t really like that. I think that Sam’s biggest strength is, he can play with the puck, he can not play with the puck. He can score three goals and have the puck on a stick for less than three seconds in the whole game. So it’s not surprising to see it work with Barky. Barky is a pass-first guy, so Sam’s going to get in the holes and get open and find ways to score. He’s a legit defensive force, too.”
>Unlike many goal-scorers, Reinhart refuses to cheat the game, Maurice said.
>“He’s like Barkov,” Maurice said. “They don’t have games where you wonder where their heads are defensively. They just don’t. That’s their starting point, always. You have to be on the ice with him to fully appreciate it. It’s almost like you have to be here and you have to watch every game and sometimes you need to be in the building to see it, because of the way the cameras change. The long stack of right decisions he makes every time.
>“He’s not going to cheat the risk profile on the play that’s in front of him to increase his chances of getting a point. Even when we’re down one, he’s not cheating the game; he just continually does the right thing. Highly unusual. Great players anticipate. Good players cheat. The guys who are in that 18-to-22-goal range, they were cheating for that one. His ability to figure out the highest percentage of the right play next is very high.”
>The other thing that Maurice said is unusual about Reinhart is his ability to process the game, know exactly what’s going on and then how to explain it.
>“Ron Francis, I think, is the smartest person I’ve ever talked to about hockey in terms of being on a bench and being able to tell you what happens on the ice,” Maurice said. “And then it’s Sam Reinhart, he’s not far off. They’re not watching the Jumbotron. They’re just wired.
>“Way out of the ordinary.”
>Maurice uses it as a resource, having Reinhart explain from a player’s point of view what he and his teammates are seeing.
>“It’s been incredibly valuable to me,” Maurice said. “If there’s something in our game I don’t like, I go ask him what’s he seeing.”
His next contract will end terribly.