Buffalo Sabres: Too soon to give up on Sam Reinhart

The has been speculation the Buffalo Sabres will look to trade Sam Reinhart to help bolster the blue line, but it would be a mistake at this stage of his career.

No one ever said the world of professional sports was fair, but sometimes you have to feel bad for Sam Reinhart. Selected in 2014 by the Buffalo Sabres, he’s had to deal with the expectations which come from being a second overall draft pick.

As far as many media experts and fans are concerned, Reinhart is a disappointment up to this point. However, what a lot of people are conveniently forgetting, is the 2014 draft class was one of the weaker ones in recent years. (You only need to look a the draft classes of 2015 and 2016 for evidence of this.)

Regardless, there has been a fair amount of criticism directed at the 21-year old recently, with his 2016-17 campaign perceived as a step back from the previous season. This becomes interesting, when you consider he actually finished with five more points this past season, while playing the same number of games as 2015-16.

However, Reinhart’s critics point towards a drop in his scoring production, from 23 goals to 17. This was particular clear early in the season, with just three goals through 20 games.

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It didn’t help that the North Vancouver native struggled without Jack Eichel in the team for the first 21 games of the season. Once again this seemed — at least partly — unfair, given the Sabres as a whole struggled without Eichel.

Having said all this, Reinhart didn’t exactly help his own cause, as recently reported by WGR550‘s Paul Hamilton. According to Hamilton, the youngster became arrogant in his demeanor on the ice and in interviews, effectively acting like he had already made it.

This was perhaps best highlighted by the 2011-12 WHL Rookie of the Year’s work ethic. After regularly staying behind for an extra 45 minutes after practice during the 2015-16 campaign, he hardly attended any extra workouts this past season.

Interestingly, this changed after the late season controversy, when Reinhart was late for a team meeting and had to sit out a game. While he insisted it was just an innocent mistake, it seemed to serve as a wake up call, as he once again became a regular for post-practice sessions.

With the Sabres in need of help on the blue line, there have been calls for them to use Reinhart as a part of any potential trade package. However, it’s too soon to give up on him.

For a start, Evander Kane‘s future is up in the air, with recent speculation linking him to the Los Angeles Kings. If Kane and Reinhart leave, the Sabres will have then lost two of their better wingers.

Second, the son of former NHL player Paul Reinhart deserves more time to show what he’s got. (For goodness’ sake, he’s only played two full seasons in the NHL!) He’s already provided glimpses of his potential and will surely benefit from a full season alongside a healthy Eichel.

If Reinhart fails to progress next season, by all means revisit his future in Western New York. However, I’m willing to bet he will turn into an excellent player for the Sabres, while also becoming more mature after the experience of this past season.

Next: How realistic is a trade for Jordan Eberle?

Put yourself in the position of general manager for the Sabres. What would you do in respect of Reinhart and why? Share your thoughts in the comments section.