Sam Reinhart shooting for 60 and a big new contract
TSN: Sam Reinhart could hit the 60-goal mark this season, a good time to be a pending UFA, and Darren Dreger reports there haven’t been any negotiations yet but the sides have talked.
“They’re not negotiating yet, but there’s good dialogue between management of the Panthers and the Reinhart camp.
Now if you look at fair market value based on what we’ve already seen, with the Toronto Maple Leafs and William Nylander and Elias Pettersson and the Vancouver Canucks, you know that the number’s going to be a significant one, and then you get to that place.
If you’re Florida, how many of these big number contracts can you actually absorb before you now have to put base-level contracts into key positions but Florida most definitely will take a run.”
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Kevin Labanc trying to help his teammates out as he rides out the season
Curtis Pashelka of The Mercury News: The San Jose Sharks have healthy scratched forward Kevin Labanc over 20 times this season and it’s hard to see the 28-year-old pending UFA being back.
Labanc said he hasn’t spoken with head coach David Quinn about when he might get back in the lineup.
Labanc’s agent Mike Curran had permission earlier this season to see if there was a fit with another team, but his $4.725 million cap hit complicates things.
“I think (Grier) was trying,” Labanc said of a possible deal. “It’s obviously tough when I’m in the position that I’m in and I haven’t really been playing all that much, either. So, it doesn’t really help the case.
“I’m just doing it for the guys. Just being there for them and try and be supportive as much as you can. Whatever the coaches decide, that’s on them. Just trying to help the guys get off this losing skid that we’re on and try and get a couple more wins before the season ends.”
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He has nine points in 41 games this season, after putting up 33 points in 72 games last year. Labanc still believes he can play.