Panthers Acquire Reinprecht from Coyotes, Sign Him to Three-Year Deal

The Florida Panthers and Phoenix Coyotes completed the first trade of the off-season on Friday with the Panthers acquiring center Steven Reinprecht from the Coyotes in exchange for right wing Stefan Meyer. After the trade, the Panthers signed Reinprecht to a three-year contract worth $6.15 million. The deal averages out to $2.050 million per season. He would have become an unrestricted free agent on July 1. In 73 games last season with the Coyotes, Reinprecht scored 14 goals and 27 assists for 41 points. In 552 career games, he has 120 goals and 214 assists for 334 points with the Los Angeles Kings, Colorado Avalanche, Calgary Flames, and Phoenix Coyotes. He won a Stanley Cup with the Avalanche in 2001. Meyer appeared in four NHL games in 2007-08, going pointless. This is a decent move for the Panthers, as Reinprecht is a talented center with decent skills on the power play. His veteran experience will be invaluable on the relatively young Panthers' team next season. In juniors, it appeared Meyer had the skills to become a top-six forward, but his production dropped a bit when he reached the AHL level, essentially making him a third-line forward. He still has the potential to crack the NHL, but at 24 years of age, he's running out of time to make it to the NHL full-time. However, with the Coyotes filing for bankruptcy, they need all the affordable depth they can get and this could be Meyer's opportunity to make it to the NHL. If he's impressive at training camp, he could very likely make the team.