Reinhart is a tough player to gauge. Scores a lot from in front of the net. Tips etc
But the way he is good is with his puck smarts, Flyers game not withstanding.
Usually makes smart plays with the puck. Makes quick passes. Also, I've noticed a definite improvement in his skating which is convincing me he's a waste on the Eichel line.
Nothing tangible in his game makes you say wow. It's the intangible part of his game that may do that for you.
The good thing is that he appears to be improving
This got off the rails halfway thru, warning to all.
The only thing tough to gauge with him, is how odd it is that people get hung up on speed and dangles.
Just take his stats and transfer them to anyone that hasn’t had a crazy campaign against him for years at this point, and only the most irrational fan would be unhappy with him, let alone want to move him.
No, we didn’t get lucky enough to get a Malkin or a Laine at 2 overall on both picks. But that stuff hardly ever happens and the 2nd or 3rd overall picks are littered with good but not elite players.
Consider this, at the same ages, 22 year old Vanek, in a couple minutes less of average ice time to be fair, only scored 25 goals and 23 assists for 48 points. On a very good Sabres team in a high scoring year. Reinhart had, 25,25-50 on a last place team. As a non goal scorer. The following year was when Vanek blows up on the President’s Trophy year. Goes for 84. Reinhart’s on pace for an 18 point jump in production, on a middling team, without a particular looking good yet, by his own ppg standard of last year’s second half.
None of this long winded rant is towards you, I generally agree he scores in the dirty areas and puts the puck into positive space more than most.
What I would add, is that for a bad athlete, weak skater, muffin shot, soft on his skates bum like him, he gets a solid 10-15 assists a year that are tap in, wtf just happened easy goals.
Just like scoring 20+ goals from inside 10 feet of the cage, those don’t just happen.
I would love to know what the long term ask was from Reinhart. Ups and downs aside of this season, with a proven track record of being a 50 point player as a physically underdeveloped elc player, I have to think Reinhart’s side wanted like 7 a year for 5 or 6. At that number I could see wanting to defer to Toronto and let them set the market with Nylander. That still is going to hurt because Toronto had to get him signed long term both to maintain a contending championship team a possibility, as a trade asset and to lock in his value before his numbers got any better. But if Reinhart wants 7.5 for 8 or something nuts ok.
But if it was 6 or less, I’m going to have some hard questions about what the plan was.
First, what does winning that bridge deal look like? Reinhart stabilizing as a 25 goal scorer and no more? What is the going rate for a 25 goal scoring, two way winger with 2 rfa years left in 2020? 5+? Was the 2 years of a couple million off the cap worth it? Did anybody legitimately believe he could regress and be worse?
Anywho, it makes me really curious how much did Reinhart want?
