The Florida Panthers were able to defeat the Edmonton Oilers in seven games to win the 2024 Stanley Cup. Things got hairy for them down the stretch, as they got out to a 3-0 lead before the Oilers’ offense got cooking in Games 4-6.
In Game 7, the stout Florida Panther defense was able to figure things out and get back on track. One of the stars of that game was forward Sam Reinhart, who ended up scoring the game-winning goal.
Hours after the game finished, attention quickly turned to the offseason. Reinhart was one of the key Florida Panthers players who was going to be hitting free agency this summer.
After scoring 57 goals in the regular season and 10 more in the postseason, his market was assuredly going to be a hot one. Not wanting to risk another team poaching him, the Florida Panthers hammered out a deal before free agency began.
As shared by ESPN, Reinhart and the team agreed to an eight-year, $69 million contract. The deal was completed over the weekend, which was critical as the Florida Panthers were able to offer him that extra eighth year on the contract. Had he hit unrestricted free agency, a seven-year pact would have been the max.
“What a week it’s been,” Reinhart said. “Best week of my life.”
With Reinhart now under contract, the team’s core will be sticking together for years to come. He, Aleksander Barkov and Matthew Tkachuk are all under contract for the next six seasons.
In a story normally only Disney could create, Reinhart scored the first goal of the season for the Florida Panthers and the last one. The last one is which everyone remembers, as it helped the franchise take home their first Stanley Cup ever.
Only 29 years old in November, Reinhart is going to be a key contributor for this team for a long time. He earned the long-term deal with the best season of his career, which the team hopes is only the beginning of more successful times ahead.
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