Panthers waive Reinhardt, keep Imama for opening night

Florida picked toughness over touch for the last forward spot. It wasn't the name this Desk had penciled in two days ago.

The Panthers put eight players on waivers Sunday to get to 23 for Tuesday's opener in Carolina: forwards Cole Reinhardt, Sam Lafferty, John Beecher, Cole Schwindt and Kai Schwindt, defensemen Alexander Petrovic and Donovan Sebrango, and tryout invite Nathan Bastian.

Bokondji Imama stays on the NHL roster without going through waivers at all. He's ticketed for the fourth line with Lars Eller and Garnet Hathaway.

That's a reversal. Camp reporting through the weekend had Reinhardt, who led the roster battle in hits and energy, as the favorite for that last spot. The Panthers went with the older, heavier body instead.

Read it as a message about what this fourth line is for. Maurice wants a guy who finishes checks and drops the gloves over one who's still figuring out his NHL touch. Reinhardt has more offensive upside long-term, but "long-term" doesn't make Tuesday's lineup card.

The bigger risk sits with Reinhardt and Cole Schwindt. Both were already claimed off waivers once in their careers, which means other GMs have liked them enough to bet on before.

If either clears by Monday afternoon, he reports to Charlotte. If he doesn't, Florida gets nothing back. Beecher and Lafferty, both with real NHL mileage, are the likelier ones to slide through untouched.

Bastian's move is the tidy one. He came to camp on a professional tryout, and waivers were the procedural step to turn that into a contract. The deal: one year, two-way, $850,000 in the NHL and $525,000 in the minors, with $575,000 guaranteed. That's a depth signing, not a headline, and it reads exactly like one.

Contract card: Nathan Bastian · 1 year, two-way · NHL $850K / AHL $525K · $575K guaranteed · Verdict: a depth add, not a bet on a job.

None of this changes the shape of the Panthers' bottom six so much as it changes who's in it. Imama brings size and a fight card. Reinhardt brought jump and a nose for the net. Florida is betting it needs the former more on opening night against a Carolina team that plays fast and physical both ways.

The call: Reinhardt gets claimed. A team looking for cheap forward depth with scoring touch takes a flier on a 24-year-old who just outworked a training camp, and Florida loses him for nothing but a waiver-wire footnote.

If he does clear, Charlotte gets a legitimate top-six AHL scorer and the Panthers keep their depth chart intact either way. Either outcome, the fourth-line answer for Tuesday is Imama, Eller and Hathaway — the group Florida is trusting to open the season.