3 Teams Who Should Trade For Sam Reinhart

The Buffalo Sabres have a lot to deal with this off-season. Their captain, Jack Eichel, has been open about his frustration with the team. Thus, there are a plethora of trade rumors involving him. However, that is only the tip of the iceberg, as Sam Reinhart has also been rather candid about wanting out of Buffalo, too.

Although Reinhart is not as big of a name as Eichel, he still is a spectacular hockey player in his own right. In fact, on a historically bad Sabres team, he had his best individual season to date. The 25-year-old forward would score 25 goals and 40 points in 54 games. With him being young and finally developing into a true first-line talent, there should be a number of takers for his services. He is an RFA, too, so any team who gets him would likely want to lock him up long-term.

There are a handful of teams who should be extra aggressive in trying to add him to their squads. An underrated element of his game is that he can play both center and right wing, and they would benefit from this significantly.

Columbus Blue Jackets

After continuous success for the first time in their franchise’s history, the Columbus Blue Jackets took a serious turn for the worst this season. It led to the eventual trades of captain Nick Foligno and David Savard, which was a tough pill for their fans to swallow. Now, Seth Jones has even informed the team that he plans on testing the free agent market next off-season. It is time for them to bring in new blood, and Sam Reinhart could be a great starting point.

The Blue Jackets will be looking to return to the postseason next year, as they do have a decent crop of strong players. They also will have a lot of money to work with this off-season as well, so they could give Reinhart a hefty deal. He also would have the chance to thrive in a first-line center role there, which could help a player like Patrik Laine to find his game again.

Anaheim Ducks

After a couple of hard years for the Anaheim Ducks, it seems like they are heading in the right direction. Their prospect pool is quite impressive, as they have Trevor Zegras and Jamie Drysdale leading the charge on that front. They also have the 3rd overall pick in this year’s NHL Entry Draft, so they will be only improving it. These facts could lead the team to look to bring in an experienced player like Reinhart to help mentor them.

The Ducks have a bit of issues when it comes to center depth as well, as Ryan Getzlaf is nearing the completion of his career. Reinhart may play a different style than Getzlaf, but the former would be an adequate replacement in terms of overall skill. They also could place Reinhart on the right wing on Zegras’ line, too. There are a lot of intriguing possibilities with adding Reinhart to the team, so it really should be considered.

Vancouver Canucks

Who doesn’t love seeing an NHLer come back home?

Reinhart could be an excellent fit for the Vancouver Canucks. The team had a very difficult season this year, as they were hit the hardest by the pandemic. This led to a bad overall record, but realistically, hope is not lost for them. In fact, they have a fantastic and young core of forwards led by Bo Horvat, Elias Petersson and Brock Boeser. Adding Reinhart to it would certainly make them a far more imposing team to play. Oh, and they also have Quinn Hughes, too.

The Canucks need to figure out how to get rid of the bad contracts on their team before making a deal, though. It has already been stated by Jim Benning that he will be buying out players this off-season, so that certainly will help. With Reinhart as an RFA, they also would have a bit of time to finalize a deal, if they choose to trade for him. He very well could be the piece that makes the Canucks a consistent playoff team.

Photo credit: © Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports