Can't help but think a LOT of the same things said about Sam this year are similar to those said about Toews in '06. Not comparing them because Sam is still 17, but lots of people questioned Toews high-end upside/skating/dynamism and I see a few of the same concerns in Sam's game.
Reinhart is never going to wow you out there to the uninitiated observer, he isn't an electric player like a Matt Duchene type. He's subtle out there, but he's all over the ice, some shifts you might not notice he's on the ice actually if you're watching for other players but Kootenay will break down the ice for a chance on a rush and you look up and it's Reinhart leading it feathering a great pass over to a streaking winger. Or Kootenay will be on the penalty kill and you notice a smart, savvy little play to clear the puck out and you go "oh, wow, that's Reinhart again hey." He's not taking it end-to-end every shift, he's not going to barrel in on the forecheck but he's going to play extremely smart hockey and be in a lot of the right places. At the end of the night he has 2 assists and has played 25 minutes on the first line, the top PP unit and the top PK unit.
Reinhart is never going to wow you out there to the uninitiated observer, he isn't an electric player like a Matt Duchene type. He's subtle out there, but he's all over the ice, some shifts you might not notice he's on the ice actually if you're watching for other players but Kootenay will break down the ice for a chance on a rush and you look up and it's Reinhart leading it feathering a great pass over to a streaking winger. Or Kootenay will be on the penalty kill and you notice a smart, savvy little play to clear the puck out and you go "oh, wow, that's Reinhart again hey." He's not taking it end-to-end every shift, he's not going to barrel in on the forecheck but he's going to play extremely smart hockey and be in a lot of the right places. At the end of the night he has 2 assists and has played 25 minutes on the first line, the top PP unit and the top PK unit.
