NHL Announces First All-Star Players Today. Hello, Sam Reinhart

The NHL will announce the first 32 players to the All-Star Game this evening, and all signs point toward Sam Reinhart getting his first-ever selection.

Although there are a couple of Florida Panthers who would be worthy of being part of the event next month in Toronto, Reinhart is the only pick for this initial announcement.

UPDATE: And, he was.

On Thursday night, the NHL announced Reinhart was among the Eastern Conference selections.

While the Panthers got two members on the Atlantic team last year when All-Star weekend was held in South Florida, Florida may just get one of the 44 players in this one.

Reinhart has to be one of the All-Stars.

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“I think he is the same player he was in Buffalo, only now he is getting a lot more recognition and being on a winning team helps that,’’ Evan Rodrigues said.

“He has this confidence, a swagger about him, and he is a leader around the net. He always had the goals and the points in Buffalo, but they are being noticed a lot more now. You put him in a spot to succeed and that is just what he is going to do.”

Reinhart is off to the best start of a stellar NHL career and is on track to shatter previous career highs all set since being traded to the Panthers in 2021.

Coming into Wednesday, Reinhart ranked third in the NHL with 24 goals and was 10th with 45 points.

His career highs are 33 goals and 82 points set during the 2021-22 season; Reinhart is on pace to score 60 goals with 100 points.

Reinhart scored eight goals in two of the season’s first three months — with seven goals in December.

He scored No. 24 in Florida’s 4-1 win in Arizona on Tuesday to kick off 2024 in style.

goals.

“It has been really fun,’’ Reinhart said last month. “This is the time of year where I really get started. One of the factors I attribute is playing hockey until June last year. It didn’t take as much time getting comfortable on the ice again.”

If anyone on the Panthers deserves a chance to play in this All-Star Game, well, it is Reinhart.

Unlike the past few seasons where the four teams were represented by the divisions — Matthew Tkachuk and Sasha Barkov helped lead the Atlantic to victory last year with Tkachuk winning MVP honors — there will be a players draft on Feb. 1.

There, captains of each of the four All-Star teams as well as celebrity captains will pick their teams.

Coaches for the four teams will be selected in the coming days.

With the Panthers four points back of Boston, it looks like Boston’s Jim Montgomery will be back behind the bench.

But, no one watches the All-Star Game for the coaches.

They know this.

“He is feeling good and earning every bit of it,’’ Florida coach Paul Maurice said of Reinhart.

“He plays big minutes, he kills penalties for us and is certainly a two-way player. We’re looking at his numbers and say ‘he’s elite’ but he has been more than just an offensive player for us.”

ON DECK

FLORIDA PANTHERS @ VEGAS GOLDEN KNIGHTS

• When: Thursday, 10 p.m.
• Where: T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas
• TV/Streaming: Bally Sports Florida, ESPN+
  
• Radio: WQAM 560-AM, WPOW 96.5 FM2, WBZT 1230-AM (Palm Beach); WCTH 100.3-FM (Florida Keys); SiriusXM
• Panthers Radio Streaming: SiriusXM 932, NHL app
• Season Series (Panthers Lead 1-0) — At Florida: Panthers 4, Knights 2 (Dec. 23). At Vegas: Thursday.
• Last Regular Season: Even 1-1
• All-time Regular Season Series: Golden Knights lead 6-4-1
• Postseason History — 2023 Stanley Cup Final: Vegas d. Florida 4-1
• Up Next for the Florida Panthers: Saturday at Colorado, 4 p.m.