If anyone has had a successful summer, it's Florida Panthers star Sam Reinhart. Reinhart led the Panthers to their first Stanley Cup victory in franchise history back in late June. Around a week later, Reinhart signed an eight-year contract extension to avoid hitting NHL Free Agency. Now, he and his Florida teammates are preparing to defend the Stanley Cup.
The goal for Florida has shifted from season to season. In 2023-24, they wanted to avenge their loss in the 2023 Stanley Cup Final. With this goal accomplished, the only goal left is to win the Stanley Cup again. It can be challenging to remain motivated when pursuing a goal you have already achieved. However, Reinhart doesn't foresee this being an issue for his team.
“It certainly hasn't changed for me this summer. Talking to the guys — we're certainly a close team that keeps in touch — but I don't think because we won, there's no satisfaction once that puck drops,” Reinhart said, via NHL.com. “So, [we were] as motivated as [we've] been this summer to put ourselves in another spot [to win]. Certainly it's not easy, but we feel like we've got a good group of guys still that are hungry for more.”
Sam Reinhart's Panthers saw roster turnover in the offseason
Sam Reinhart returns to a Panthers team that lost some important pieces this offseason. For instance, Brandon Montour signed with the Seattle Kraken in NHL Free Agency this summer. Furthermore, goalie Anthony Stolarz signed on with the Toronto Maple Leafs once the market opened on July 1.
The Panthers did not make any significant external additions to their team. However, they did bring in depth options to replace the depth lost in NHL Free Agency. Among the names to join Florida this summer are Tomas Nosek, Jesper Boqvist, and Nate Schmidt.
If the new-look roster can play at a high level, Florida will certainly be a Stanley Cup contender in 2025. However, there is more to winning championships than having a high talent level. There has to be a motivation to continue pursuing your goal when the going gets tough. And Reinhart believes his team will continue to grind no matter what.
“Certainly there's things that work for us that we're going to try and replicate. But I think it starts with that competitiveness, that hunger to win. It's a feeling we want to chase again,” Reinhart said, via NHL.com.
It'll certainly be interesting to see if the Panthers return to the Stanley Cup Final. And it's worth watching to see how Reinhart performs with his new contract extension. Florida begins its Stanley Cup defense on October 8 at home against the Boston Bruins.
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