Could Sam Reinhart become the Sabers version of LeBron James?

Everyone knows the story of LeBron James: a former No. 1 overall pick who played for the Cleveland Cavaliers, left his hometown team, figured out how to win championships with the Miami Heat, is returned to Cleveland and brought the city its first championship since 1964. Meanwhile, Sam Reinhart, former No. 2 pick of the Buffalo Sabres, could follow a similar career path.

We also know Reinhart’s history with the Sabres, which saw him play six full seasons for the Sabers and seven total before his trade to the Florida Panthers in 2021. Of course, Reinhart left the Sabers in better conditions than James left Cleveland (the first time). ), which even included a phone call to general manager Kevyn Adams following the trade.

But the similarities are striking, even if Reinhart never achieved the same level of stardom as James. Still, now that he’s an unrestricted free agent after an offseason where general manager Bill Zito will have no choice but to let a few players go, Reinhart could easily test the free agent market and if that happens product, you know all eyes will be on it. be on Buffalo.

Say what you want about this scenario, but the Sabers just brought back a former head coach, so it’s not a stretch that Kevyn Adams would be willing to bring a former player back to the organization. Yes, after the kind of season he just had, there’s no doubt Reinhart will be looking for an AAV worth eight figures, but they also have cap space worth over 23 .5 million dollars here.

We know that Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen is the only pending free agent (RFA or UFA) worth re-signing to a long and somewhat lucrative deal, while the others will require much smaller and shorter salaries . We also know that Jeff Skinner only has three years left on his contract, assuming the Sabers don’t buy him out, and that he’ll make significantly less in 2025-26 and 2026-27 if he sticks around.

If the Sabers signed Reinhart to an eight-figure AAV, it doesn’t have to be an upfront contract, but rather one that can pay him less in the first year and then reach the eight-figure mark within the second year or year. 3 as Skinner’s contract goes down, assuming they keep Skinner. This would also work in conjunction with Rasmus Dahlin’s contract, which is a total salary of $13 million in the first year before steadily decreasing over the next seven seasons.

All in all, this may sound like a distant project, but it’s not as far-fetched as it seems at first glance. Granted, the strategy to get Reinhart back on the Sabers roster should he test free agency is incomplete, but it gives you an idea that bringing him back to Buffalo is feasible. Now that he at least knows how to win a conference championship, if not more, there’s a chance Reinhart will have a James-like experience in the NHL.