The Nashville Predators have sent a conditional fourth-round pick in 2016 in exchange for forward Max Reinhart.
Hockey Analysis has this to say about the 23-year-old center:
Talent Analysis
Reinhart can play the power play, kills penalties and is a solid two-way player. The playmaking center has good speed with a quick accurate release and sees the ice well but needs added muscle mass to play more physically at the NHL level. His hockey smarts and vision compare favorably to other young center prospects.
Future
Reinhart was in training camp with the Flames before being assigned to new AHL affiliate Adirondack to start the 2014-15 season. Briefly with Calgary for a four-game stint in November, he is now in the third season of his original entry-level contract and is back in the AHL. Reinhart appeared to have a breakout season in 2013-14, scoring 21 goals for Abbotsford and leading the team in scoring, but has played more of a two-way role this season. While he may not become the top-six forward envisioned when he was drafted, Reinhart’s skill set suggests he can be an effective lower line forward at the NHL level.
Emphasis added. It sure seems like this is a depth pick, to bolster the AHL roster while having the option of bringing in another forward if the need arises. Whether or not Reinhart is a full-time NHLer remains to be seen, however. It does add a bit of a logjam to the younger prospects that are trying to get a spot on the team next year, though it’s still possible the Predators aren’t done for the summer just yet.
The offseason is long, and full of terrors.
Nashville, Tenn. (July 1, 2015) – Nashville Predators President of Hockey Operations/General Manager David Poile announced Wednesday that the team has acquired forward Max Reinhart from the Calgary Flames in exchange for a conditional fourth-round selection in the 2016 Entry Draft.
Reinhart, 23 (2/4/92), has appeared in 23 career NHL games with the Flames over the past three seasons, posting a goal and four assists. Since scoring a pair of goals in his first professional contest with the American Hockey League’s Abbotsford Heat on April 15, 2012, the 6-1, 185-pound center has amassed 125 points (45g-80a) in 203 AHL contests. In 2013-14, his assist total ranked ninth in the AHL (42), while his point total tied for 11th (63).
A third-round selection of the Flames (64th overall) in the 2010 Entry Draft, Reinhart posted 235 points (94g-141a) in 266 Western Hockey League games with the Kootenay Ice from 2008-12. He led all skaters in goals (15) and tied for second in points (27) while leading the Ice to the 2011 Ed Chynoweth Cup as WHL champions, then tied for first in assists (5) and for second in points (6) at the 2011 Memorial Cup. Reinhart’s father, Paul, played 648 career NHL contests between 1979-90, while his two brothers, Sam (second overall selection of Buffalo in 2014) and Griffin (fourth overall selection in the 2012 Draft, recently acquired by Edmonton) are both top NHL prospects.