Bruins: Could Boston work out this deal with this division rival?

The Boston Bruins should inquire about Sam Reinhart.

There have been several articles covering trade rumors and options for Buffalo Sabres‘ captain Jack Eichel and left wing Taylor Hall. But for some reason, forward Sam Reinhart is constantly overlooked.

Reinhart was drafted second-overall as a center by the Sabres in the 2014 Entry Draft. However, struggling at faceoffs and defensively, he has played primarily right wing for Buffalo, switching between the first and second line depending on if Eichel is in the lineup.

With guys like Eichel, Hall, and Jeff Skinner on his team, Reinhart is overlooked. He has quietly put together three straight seasons of 20+ goals and 50+ points. In 2017-18 he was able to pot 25 goals and in 2018-19 he was able to reach 65 points. Since his rookie season of 2014-15, Reinhart has just one season where he hasn’t scored at least 20 goals.

Now at 25 years old, Reino, as Sabres’ fans call him, is currently playing on a one-year deal worth $5.2 million. After this deal, Buffalo will still have control over his rights as he’ll be a restricted free agent (RFA).

Considering Reinhart’s contract status, age, and the fact that the Sabres are normally in Boston’s division whether there’s a division realignment due to a pandemic or not, I think this deal could be a bit more costly than many would think.

This could be what a deal for Reinhart looks like:

I think this deal could be a starting point. For all those people that are about to come here and roast me for this deal, I am not saying this would be the deal, I’m saying this is a fair starting point.

The Sabres currently need defenseman. I was thinking about putting Kevan Miller, but I don’t think Buffalo would like his age and his injury history. Clifton is an young, NHL-caliber defenseman that’s only getting better and will probably equate to a second-pair defenseman once fully developed.

Zach Senyshyn is a former first-round pick that has taken a bit longer to develop than liked. However, he has been able to produce in his rare NHL experience and is still young at 23. If he can develop into what Don Sweeney saw in hi when he was drafted, the Sabres could have another 50-point scorer.

DeBrusk may just need a change in scenery to get going. He’s been progressively getting worse and worse production-wise since his 27-goal season. This piece gives Buffalo a player to slot into the top-nine.

I was originally going to put a second-round pick instead of a first, however, the B’s second-round pick will most likely be closer to a third-round pick than an actual second-rounder. So, I decided to switch it to a first-round pick as Boston’s first-rounder will most likely be no better than 20th overall.

Overall, I think the Sabres will be looking for young, NHL-ready players rather than top prospects and draft picks. They’re not rebuilding, despite what many think. They think they have the tools to win, it’s just about filling holes and finding the right coach.