Cole Reinhardt is back, and the Panthers' fourth line needs his shot

Cole Reinhardt is back on the Panthers roster, and the timing could not be better. The cats are scoring hat tricks by the bushel, but the bottom of the lineup has been running on empty, and the one guy who can fix that is heading to the barn where he started.

Reinhardt came up from Charlotte on an emergency basis Saturday and is now on the active roster for real. Sam Lafferty went back down to the Checkers after the 8-3 win over Seattle, and Cole Schwindt came up for the Canada trip. Reinhardt is expected to play Wednesday in Ottawa, where he spent his first five pro seasons.

The numbers say the fourth line needed a shooter

Here's the Ferda number. Bokondji Imama has played all nine games and has zero points, averaging 7.6 minutes a night, per NHL data. Lafferty went pointless in his five games, on about 10 minutes a night by our count.

Nine games is a small sample, and nobody puts Imama in the lineup to score. He's there to finish checks and answer the bell. But a fourth line that never touches the scoresheet puts more weight on the top nine every night.

Reinhardt brings the thing those two don't: a shot. He had six goals and eight points in 15 games for Florida last season, and five of those goals came in the last four games.

He scored twice in the preseason opener against Carolina. Maurice put it simply: "I'm happy for him." He also said Reinhardt can shoot the puck and played a smart preseason.

Lineup watch

Why was Reinhardt in Charlotte at all? Cap math. Florida chose not to put Brad Marchand on long-term injured reserve to start the year. Marchand came back early, so the room only had space for 21 players.

Barkov's LTIR stint opened a little room, and the club is keeping the roster lean to save cap space for the deadline. Marcus can walk you through the dollars. On the ice, it meant Reinhardt and Schwindt went through waivers and opened the year in Charlotte while Imama took the open spot.

My call: Reinhardt plays Wednesday, and he plays with something to prove. Ottawa drafted him in the sixth round in 2020 and let him go.

Brady Tkachuk, his old Senators teammate, called him a great player who can play any style. That's a nice thing to say about a guy who's about to try to beat your old team for you.

The week ahead

Florida plays at Ottawa on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. ET, then at Pittsburgh on Thursday at 7. That's a back-to-back on the road, and that's when a fourth line earns its minutes.

I've watched this team since the inaugural season, and the Cup teams always had a bottom six that chipped in. Imama brings the sandpaper. Reinhardt brings the finish. You need both on a Thursday night in Pittsburgh.

Pabs' read: Reinhardt should stay in the lineup through the road trip. If he scores in Ottawa, the 21st spot gets a lot harder to take back.