The Senators’ 2020 NHL Draft just keeps on giving.
Of course, that was the draft where the Senators had the most lucrative first round in franchise history.
At No. 3 overall, they landed their current best player in centre Tim Stützle, who already has 409 points in 447 games. That already ranks him seventh in franchise history. At No. 5 overall, they selected Jake Sanderson, who has quickly become one of the NHL’s top defencemen.
With their two picks at No. 3 and No. 5, Ottawa probably came away with the two very best players available in the draft.
The Senators continued to hit with their third first-round pick, selecting forward Ridly Greig. The Talented Mr. Ridly has developed into an important piece of Ottawa’s middle six and brings the kind of edge every team covets.
In the second round, the Senators grabbed a highly physical defenseman in Tyler Kleven at 44th overall, and in the third, they selected goalie Leevi Meriläinen, who probably saved the Sens playoff chances last year.
But even with their final pick at 181st overall, Ottawa’s scouting staff was still finding NHL players. That’s when they selected Cole Reinhardt, Greig’s teammate with the Brandon Wheat Kings. Reinhardt was a couple of years older than Greig and put up similar offensive numbers in their final year together in junior.
What you may not have noticed this season is that, after five years in Ottawa's farm system, Reinhardt has found regular big league work, playing in 59 NHL games this season.
He split between Vegas and Florida, where it was just a little warmer than his last five winters in Belleville.
Reinhardt appeared in 17 games for Ottawa last season, almost exclusively in a fourth-line role, recording two points. But he was often noticeable because of his skating and willingness to get involved, reminiscent of pesky Parker Kelly in his early days with the organization.
As a Group 6 free agent, Reinhardt was probably growing weary of life in the AHL. He signed a two-year contract with the Vegas Golden Knights, playing 44 games and recording seven points before being claimed off waivers by the Florida Panthers.
When Reinhardt arrived in Florida, he immediately became the other Reinhart, but at least he could chirp (if he wanted to) that he's the Reinhardt with more D.
He did have a familiar face waiting for him in Donovan Sebrango. The two men spent three years together in Belleville, and as it happens, Sebrango was also claimed off waivers by the Panthers this season.
Life as a Panther agreed with Reinhardt, who produced eight points in 15 games.
That’s not exactly Sam Reinhart production, and it helped that but with that kind of points-per-game pace, even in a small sample size, combined with another year left on his contract, Cole may have positioned himself rather well with the Panthers next season.
For the record, both Cole and Sam are nicknamed ‘Reino,” though Cole joked in a chat with the Panthers website team that he may have to lean more heavily into “Cowboy,” his plan B nickname, to avoid confusion. Reinhardt grew up on a Calgary ranch and loves the Yellowstone TV franchise.
Yes, the Senators’ 2020 draft was overflowing, and it surely sits at the top of former GM Pierre Dorion's uneven resume, printed in Montserrat font (Extra Bold).
Sens fans still gush over that draft, mainly because of the franchise cornerstones it delivered in Stützle and Sanderson. But six years later, we’re still seeing potential from some of the lower-ranked names the Senators were calling long after the TV cameras had left.
By Steve Warne
The Hockey News
This article was first published at The Hockey News Ottawa. Check out more great Sens features from The Hockey News at the links below:
Our One-On-One With Senators Winger Drake Batherson
Senators Defenseman Goes From 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs To Signing In Switzerland
Rasmus Ristolainen: A Deeper Look Into A Potential Senators Trade Target
What’s The Plan For Senators UFA Lars Eller?
Archive: The Year Erik Karlsson Became Ottawa's First Norris Trophy Winner At 22
