The Florida Panthers have had one of those bump starts to a season that can change the outlook for the rest of the campaign.
Aleksander Barkov is out for a while with an injury. Brad Marchand was injured soon after and will also miss a chunk of time.
Beyond that, it’s just been a slow start to the season for players the Panthers generally rely upon.
For no one is that more true than Sam Reinhart.
Reinhart has played five games on the season. He doesn’t have a point yet.
A season ago, Reinhart had 61 points in 64 games with 29 goals and 32 assists.
The two years prior with Florida, Reinhart averaged more than a point per game — so no points through five games is a total shock.
He has been averaging 21 minutes and 37 seconds of ice time per contest, too, so it’s a ton of action for Reinhart without getting on the point sheet at all.
Something has to change at some point, it seems.
The Panthers are making one change to see if they can jumpstart that themselves.
Panthers Make Sam Reinhart Change
The Panthers are looking to play Reinhart more at center.
He’s a natural center, although when Florida has played him among its best players in recent years, he’s often worked on the wing.
This is what Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald shared on X with this news of a change to Reinhart at center:
#FlaPanthers’ Paul Maurice said Sam Reinhart expressed an interest to play more center “to get his game going.” That’s what led to Reinhart with Verhaeghe & Lafferty.
Maurice doesn’t want to break up Luostarien-Lundell-Vilmanis, which leads to Tkachuks/Bennett staying together
— Jordan McPherson (@J_McPherson1126) October 11, 2026
How Lines Change
Reinhart will end up serving as what looks like the Panthers’ second-line center if this change holds.
The first line will be Brady Tkachuk and Matthew Tkachuk on the wings with Sam Bennett.
Reinhart would then get Carter Verhaeghe and Sam Lafferty on his wings.
The third line will continue to be the solid chemistry between center Anton Lundell and his wings Eetu Luostarinen and Sandis Vilmanis.
The Panthers have had a so-so start to the season. They’ve got two wins, one regulation loss and two overtime losses.
With their injured stars missing time, they’ll need the guys still on the ice to pick their games up. That’s especially true for the point-less Reinhart.
If Reinhart’s move to center helps him get it going, that’ll be a big development in helping the Panthers stay afloat even with Barkov and Marchand out.
Panthers Make Sam Reinhart Change Amid Struggles, Injuries