The Florida Panthers have already made another adjustment to their forward group, and this one brings back a player they were close to losing out of camp.
Cole Reinhardt, one of Florida’s final roster cuts after an abbreviated training camp, is back on the active roster after Sam Lafferty was sent to the Charlotte Checkers of the AHL following the Panthers’ 8-3 win over the Kraken. Reinhardt had been recalled on an emergency basis on Saturday, when Florida did not have a spare forward available because of its salary cap situation, but the team ultimately got through the night without needing him.
Now the move is official, and Reinhardt is expected to make his season debut Wednesday in Ottawa, where he spent the first five years of his pro career.
The 26-year-old earned a real look with a strong preseason, and his camp performance made his waiver trip something of a surprise. He opened his preseason by scoring twice in Florida’s 6-3 win over the Carolina Hurricanes at Amerant Bank Arena, and Paul Maurice was quick to note what stood out.
“I’m happy for him,” Paul Maurice said afterward. “I think his game has grown.
He can shoot the puck, and he showed that last year. But he played a really, really smart game today.”
Reinhardt’s path to this point has been built on a sharp finish to the 2025-26 regular season. Florida claimed him off waivers from the Vegas Golden Knights last March, and he made the most of his short run with the club, putting up six goals and eight points in just 15 games. Five of those goals came in the final four games, a burst that gave him momentum heading into camp.
That comfort level mattered to Reinhardt once camp opened.
“It makes a big difference knowing everyone coming in,” Reinhardt said about his comfortability coming into camp. “ You’re not shaking 100 hands on the first day. It makes a big difference knowing the coaches, knowing the system a bit.”
A sixth-round pick of the Ottawa Senators in 2020, Reinhardt came to Florida last season with 62 regular season games and nine career points, including four goals, between Ottawa and Vegas.
Brady Tkachuk, who was also Reinhardt’s teammate in Ottawa, believes the Panthers have a useful piece in him.
“I think he’s a great player,” said Brady Tkachuk, who was also Reinhardt’s teammate in Ottawa. “I think he shows the different skill set that he could play with.
“I think he’s versatile in that way where he can play any style and be really effective.”
Florida’s roster picture has been shaped by cap management from the start. The club opted not to place Brad Marchand on LTIR to begin the season, and that decision left room for only 21 players, with defenseman Uvis Balinskis filling the extra spot.
Bokondji Imama won the one open forward job in camp. Sasha Barkov’s LTIR status has created temporary cap space, giving the Panthers some flexibility to carry extra players when needed, but the team has chosen to keep the roster tight to preserve space for the trade deadline.
It remains possible Florida adds another forward before heading to Canada on Tuesday for Wednesday’s game.
The Panthers visit Ottawa on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. at Canada Tire Center. Florida won the teams’ last meeting 3-1, and the clubs will meet again in this season series on March 18 in Ottawa and on Nov. 25 and Jan. 18 in Florida. Ottawa leads the all-time regular season series 60-51-6, with three ties.
Florida’s next game after that is Thursday at Pittsburgh.
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