Bove: Two-year deal for Reinhart makes sense for both sides

With the regular season rapidly approaching and training camp in full swing, the Sabres made likely their last significant roster move before the puck drops, signing Sam Reinhart to a two-year extension. The deal is worth $3.65 million per season. 

🚨 BREAKING: We've signed forward Sam Reinhart to a two-year deal. pic.twitter.com/E0dodwJdFs

— Buffalo Sabres (@BuffaloSabres) September 19, 2018

Reinhart, 22, had a career-best 50 points last season, scoring 25 goals and adding 25 assists. 

The former No. 2 overall pick in 2014, Reinhart has spent the last three seasons with the Sabres and has 140 points in 249 games. 

Bove's take:

Will the real Sam Reinhart please stand up? It's no secret that over the past few seasons Reinhart has been wildly inconsistent. Last year he started the year incredibly slow, registering just 11 points in the Sabres first 38 games. 

If the #Sabres sign Reinhart to a two-year deal there is a chance they’ll need to give new deals to Reinhart, Mittelstadt & Dahlin in the same summer. Not saying that’s a bad thing but that’s going to be a lot of money.

— Matthew Bové (@Matt_Bove) September 19, 2018

But after the Winter Classic Reinhart exploded and became a scoring machine, especially in front of the net. He quickly turned what many thought would be his worst statistical season into his best. 

Jason Botterill pic.twitter.com/FLGQYLa87d

— Matthew Bové (@Matt_Bove) September 19, 2018

So what can Sabres fans expect moving forward? Probably somewhere between the "bad" Reinhart at the beginning of the season and the "great" Reinhart that finished the season. Do I think Reinhart will ever be a 70 or 80 point guy in the league? Probably not, but players who can consistently score 50 or 60 points a season are incredibly valuable. 

Sam Reinhart has 13 points in 10 games. He had 13 points in the #Sabres first 44 games. So what has changed? @WKBW pic.twitter.com/YMLArSMoGf

— Matthew Bové (@Matt_Bove) February 9, 2018

For both sides, a two-year bridge deal makes a lot of sense. The deal allows Reinhart to prove his worth and potentially sign a much bigger deal in the not so distant future. That said, two more years from Reinhart making less than $4 million per season seems like a great bargain for the Sabres.

Throughout this process, Jason Botterill has said he was confident a new deal would get done. Things got a bit worrisome after Reinhart missed multiple practices and the first two preseason games. But in the end, Botterill's patience paid off. 

Follow Matt Bove on Twitter!

Have a news tip, question or comment?