Florida Panthers coach Paul Maurice raves about Reinhart’s hockey smarts, evaluating the West Vancouver product to Ron Francis and saying “If I have to know what’s occurring the ice or one thing that’s going with our sport, I’m going discuss to Sam.”
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B.C. merchandise Joe Sakic and Mark Recchi starred within the NHL. The identical goes for Ray Ferraro and Glenn Anderson.
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Who’s the most effective participant from this province within the league in the present day? It’s laborious to argue in opposition to it being Sam Reinhart.
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The Florida Panthers right-winger from West Vancouver awakened Friday morning tied for fourth within the NHL in objectives (17) and sitting tenth in factors (37).
The Panthers dropped a 4-0 resolution to the Vancouver Canucks Thursday night time at Rogers Area, marking the second straight sport that they’ve been shut out. Reinhart had two objectives and eight assists within the 5 video games previous to that.
The 28-year-old Hollyburn Minor Hockey alum is on tempo for 48 objectives and 105 factors, which might be profession highs for his 10-year stint within the NHL, bettering the 33 objectives and 82 factors he had two seasons in the past with the Panthers.
This run comes at a great time for Reinhart, who’s a pending unrestricted free agent. He’s within the closing season of a three-year cope with an annual cap hit of $6.5 million.
Canucks Report
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“He’s as near Ron Francis mentally as I’ve coached. Ron Francis is the neatest participant I’ve coached,” Panthers bench boss Paul Maurice stated after Thursday’s morning skate, pointing to a 16-year NHLer and the league’s fifth all-time main scorer in Francis.
“If I have to know what’s occurring the ice or one thing that’s going with our sport, I’m going discuss to Sam. He’s in a position to articulate what’s occurring. He’s a really, very brilliant hockey participant.
“These gamers you don’t discover as a lot. They don’t have the (Connor) McDavid pace, they’re not huge hitters. The individuals who love the sport, you let your eyes comply with him across the ice and watch how environment friendly and laborious working he’s. He’s a extremely sensible professional.”
Reinhart advised the Miami Herald again in September that he wasn’t going to “lose sleep,” over his contract standing, including that Panthers “know I wish to be right here. I do know they need me right here.”
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He stated earlier than Thursday’s sport that he wasn’t getting caught up in his sizzling begin and what his numbers may appear like by season’s finish, both.
“That’s not in my thoughts in any respect. I’m a day-by-day man away from the rink and on the rink as effectively,” Reinhart stated.
He does have folks near him with a eager thought on what he’s going by means of. He’s the son of Paul Reinhart, a defenceman who performed the ultimate two years of his 11-year run within the NHL with the Canucks. And Sam is the third of three brothers to go well with up within the league, following Max, 31, a centre who noticed motion in three seasons with the Calgary Flames, and defenceman Griffin, 29, who performed elements of two years with the New York Islanders and Edmonton Oilers.
They each did stints in Europe. And so they’ve each retired from the sport.
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“Sam was the beneficiary of seeing the older brothers, of competing with them and in opposition to them and seeing the method they went by means of,” Paul stated. “It was like several hockey dad and mom occasions three for us. It was intense but it surely was enjoyable to see all three of them excelling alongside the way in which.”
We’ve seen a number of sons of former Canucks make the NHL. Winnipeg Jets ahead Adam Lowry (Dave Lowry), Ottawa Senators defenceman Jake Sanderson (Geoff Sanderson) and Columbus Blue Jackets ahead Cole Sillinger (Mike Sillinger) are among the many present ones that come to thoughts.
Paul maintains that it may be a “comparatively robust street to journey,” for the son of a former NHLer.
“You’d suppose that they’d have extra alternatives than others however in lots of cases I believe it really works in opposition to them.” Paul stated. “There’s the expectations, the comparisons. There’s additionally that the final consensus that as ex-players we’d have somebody’s ear, but it surely doesn’t work that method.”
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And Paul’s scouting report on Sam as a participant?
“He reads the sport, he understands the sport. I’d name him ‘sneaky’ or ‘underneath the radar’ in numerous cases. He’s quicker than he appears, he’s stronger than he appears, he’s larger than he appears. He’s extraordinarily good on either side of the puck,” Paul stated of Sam, who’s a 6-foot-2, 193-pound right-handed shot.
Sakic, who’s from Burnaby, is the all-time main scorer (1,641 factors) within the NHL common season amongst gamers who have been born in B.C. and performed their youth right here, adopted by Recchi (1,533) of Kamloops, Anderson (1,099) of Burnaby, Paul Kariya (989) of North Vancouver, Ferraro (898) of Path and Cliff Ronning (869) of Burnaby.
Steve Yzerman (1,755) was born in Cranbook however performed a lot of his minor hockey in Nepean, Ont., after his household moved there.
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TOP B.C. SCORERS IN NHL
(All stats as of Friday morning, video games performed adopted by objective, assists, factors)
Sam Reinhart, Panthers (West Vancouver) 29-17-20-37
Mathew Barzal, Islanders (Coquitlam) 27-10-20-30
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Oilers (Burnaby) 27-7-21-28
Connor Bedard, Blackhawks (North Vancouver) 29-12-12-24
Evander Kane, Oilers (Vancouver) 27-12-10-22
Who do you suppose the most effective all-time participant from B.C. is? Who’s the most effective one proper now? Depart your ideas within the feedback.
@SteveEwen
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