Probably the biggest weakness on the Buffalo Sabres' roster going into the 2019-20 season is at second line center.
Behind Jack Eichel, the same cast and crew of Casey Mittelstadt, Johan Larsson, Vladimir Sobotka, and Evan Rodrigues could all see time down the middle. That group combined for 81 points in 293 games, while Eichel had 82 points in 77 games. The Sabres have gotten no offensive support from any center that wasn't their captain.
Going into this season opener, there is one change at center. Offeseason free agent addition Marcus Johansson has been preparing to play second line center, despite playing mostly on the wing in his career. Logically, it makes sense for the Sabres to do this. 'Is the player the best man for the role?', should outweigh 'is the role best for this player?'. If Johansson is better than the alternative, that should be more valuable than whether he's better on the wing.
However, if the Sabres are okay with this way of thinking, why isn't Sam Reinhart getting a crack at center?
Reinhart played center for his entire life leading up to the NHL, or at least going back to 2009 when he was a 13-year-old playing bantam, as that's as far back as his EliteProspects.com page goes. Reinhart is a natural center. Since going pro, Reinhart has only had a chance to play down the middle twice, and they hardly count.
The first time was when Reinhart was an 18-year-old rookie on a tanking Sabres team for nine games. Are we really going to count his playing 10 minutes per-night with the likes of Zenon Konopka as a real chance to play center?
The second time Reinhart played down the middle was in 2017-18 when Phil Housley first got here as head coach. Housley didn't give Reinhart a real chance at success. In the week or so that Reinhart played center under Housley, his most common linemates were Zemgus Girgensons, Nick Baptiste, and Seth Griffith. Two AHL players and a career fourth liner, at best. Housley pulled the plug very quickly and never tried Reinhart at center again.
Once upon a time, I was skeptical that Reinhart could ever be anything more than a winger that fed off a great centerman like Eichel. Last season, Reinhart took a big step. He created plays himself more often, scored goals from outside the net-front more frequently, and had for the first time was as productive away from Eichel as he was with him. That's the step Reinhart needed to get back to center.
Sam Reinhart, what a laser beam. 4-0 Canada. #IIHFworlds pic.twitter.com/T9LhUfrYV3
— Steven Ellis (@StevenEllisTHN) May 20, 2019Reinhart doesn't make this play consistently three years ago. Now he has both the confidence and the ability to do it.
Evidence of Reinhart's development as a complete offensive player comes in his shot chart.
The chart above is from last season. Reinhart had 34% of his shot attempts from the front of the net, the lowest of his career. For comparison, 39% of Reinhart's shots came from the net-front in 2018, and that number was 42% in 2017.
If I could make one suggestion to head coach Ralph Krueger, it would be to give Reinhart some good wingers, and watch him be your second line center for the next decade.
One good thing about this Sabres' roster is they have some pretty decent depth at wing. There are at least six wingers that would be instant upgrades over what Reinhart played with the last time he was taking faceoffs consistently.
Just as an example:
Johansson - Eichel - Olofsson
Skinner - Reinhart - Sheary
That's just one of several combinations that could be possible with Eichel and Reinhart as your centers, but no matter what Krueger would put together, it'd automatically be a more balanced lineup than last season.
Notice, by the way, that I put Victor Olofsson on his off-wing. I feel Olofsson would be better suited on his off-wing to utilize his shot, similar to what Alex Ovechkin does.
Putting Reinhart back at his natural position almost seems too easy. Krueger is going to try Johansson in the role I'm advocating for Reinhart to start the season. If that doesn't work, Reinhart needs to get a shot. Imagine trying to pass Rodrigues, Larsson, or Sobotka as a second line center for a second year in a row.
Just for sake of argument, let's say those opposed to this idea are right and Reinhart's production would take a hit down the middle. He was a 65-point player last season. If he dropped 15-points, down to 50, by switching positions, that'd still be a massive upgrade for the Sabres. Their wingers are more capable of filling the void of a 65-point player, than their centers are capable of filling the void of a 50-point player. It's not even close.
One thing that excites me about Kreuger, is he seems determined to focus on proper player utilization, which has been ignored by previous coaches. If he gets around to putting Reinhart in as the second line center, that's going to make me very confident that the Sabres hired the right man for the job.
At the end of day, I hope Krueger asks himself one question: Who on the team would do the best at second line center?
It's time to put what's best for the team over what's best for the player.
Put Reinhart back where he belongs. At center.
