South Florida has been on a high since last week, when the Florida Panthers won their second consecutive Stanley Cup on June 18. One key reason for the Panthers’ success was their relentless offense and highly physical plays, which demolished the opposition.
And while the playoffs saw sensational plays from the likes of Brad Marchand and Sam Bennett, the one who spearheaded the Panthers’ offense during the NHL regular season was center Sam Reinhart. With 39 goals and 42 assists, he was their offensive leader.
And as free agency and July 1 approach, many have wondered just how long Reinhart will stay with South Florida. And recently, the star has made his feelings pretty clear regarding Florida.
Sam Reinhart Makes It Clear That He Wants To End His Career With the Panthers
At a recent Raising Cane’s event on June 20, Reinhart joined other Panthers fans as they packed Broward County. At an interview with RG, Reinhart mentioned, “Coming into the league pretty close to 10 years ago, it’s something you never really thought about,” highlighting the rise in popularity in hockey due to the Panthers’ success.
“Hockey in South Florida is thriving. People and the fans here are a big reason why,” Reinhart said.
Reinhart, who still has seven more years remaining in his eight-year, $69 million deal, mentioned that he wishes to finish his career with the Panthers as well. “Yeah, I’m going to be 37 when my deal is up,” Reinhart said. “Hopefully, there’s another one coming.
In the process, Reinhart also became the first player since Maurice Richard to score four goals in a Stanley Cup game. Richard had scored his four goals back in 1957 as part of the Montreal Canadiens in Game 1 against the Boston Bruins.
Incidentally, his fourth goal of the night was also the goal that sealed the deal for the Panthers and got them their second trophy. “It was pretty cool,” he mentions. He further continued with, “You felt it from getting into the rink…everyone was kind of in the zone.”
In Reinhart’s words, “I said it earlier, it felt like the fastest game I’ve ever been a part of. And that’s a good sign when things go like that.” With his current form, there is no doubt that he is the man that the Panthers’ offense will look up to when scoring rush plays.
With most of their main squad, including Aaron Ekblad, Sam Bennett, and Aleksander Barkov, all younger than 30, the Panthers have all the seeds needed to become a dynasty.
When asked what it will take to win a third, he mentioned, “I think the more we enjoy the second Cup, the better off we’ll be going for three.” The two-time champion ends it all by saying, “You gotta enjoy moments like this.”
