Florida Panthers star Sam Reinhart insists he's not preoccupied with the fact he could become an unrestricted free agent for the first time in his 10-year career.
Of course, sitting on 52 goals in 76 games and being due a sizeable raise may have something to do with his nonchalance.
"It hasn't been an issue at all, honestly," the Florida Panthers forward told The Athletic's Pierre LeBrun this week. "I think (when) you get off to a good start, it makes everything easier. You're able to just put it behind you. I think the relationship that we have, me and (general manager) Billy (Zito), me and the organization, it's all positive, all mutual.
"I'm very comfortable with it being ongoing. We've got bigger things in mind the next couple of months, hopefully. But I'm not losing sleep over it by any means."
Reinhart's three-year contract signed with the Panthers in August 2021 carries a $6.5-million cap hit, according to CapFriendly.
Both Reinhart and the Panthers have been riding high this season. The 28-year-old forward entered Wednesday tied for second in the league in goals, while the Cats occupied second place in the Atlantic Division at 47-24-5.
Florida is looking to build on last season's unexpected playoff success when the club eliminated the historically dominant Boston Bruins in the first round and ultimately reached the Stanley Cup Final. Reinhart said he believes he'll come to an agreement to stay in the Sunshine State and made it clear his top priority is to help the Panthers win it all.
"I've got all the confidence it's going to work out," he said. "I'm very comfortable with where it is. Billy respects that … he knows there's bigger things that I'm worried about, too."
Reinhart is far outpacing his previous production in his contract year. The Canadian obliterated his old career best of 33 goals notched in 2021-22, and his 87 points in 2023-24 are five more than he collected two seasons ago.
He's scored more than half of his goals (27) on the power play - a fact Florida will undoubtedly raise in contract talks - but his expected goals for and scoring chances for percentages at five-on-five are stellar at nearly 59% in both cases, according to Natural Stat Trick.
Reinhart is playing his third season with the Panthers, who acquired him in a July 2021 trade with the Buffalo Sabres. Florida shipped out young goaltender Devon Levi and a first-round pick the Sabres used to select promising forward prospect Jiri Kulich.
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