Brady Tkachuk will be in the Florida Panthers’ lineup when they open the 2026-27 season against the Carolina Hurricanes on Tuesday at Lenovo Center, a clear sign his preseason injury isn’t going to keep him out of the gate.
“Good to go,” head coach Paul Maurice said.
Tkachuk missed time after getting hurt in the second game of the preseason, but he still made a strong first impression with his new team. The offseason pickup from Ottawa put up a team-best five points in the preseason, scoring three goals and adding two assists in just five periods of ice time.
The Panthers are wasting no time dropping him into the middle of their biggest roles. Tkachuk is set to skate on the top line with captain Aleksander Barkov and Sam Reinhart, while also working on the top power-play unit. There, he’ll be on the ice with his brother, Matthew.
Barkov said Tkachuk already looks comfortable in the system.
“He knows his role right away,” Barkov said of Brady, who’s also recorded the ninth-most hits (684) in the NHL over the past three seasons. “He knows he needs to be fast.
He knows he needs to stay on the pucks, like control the pucks and that kind of stuff. He was unbelievable for those two games, so I'm really happy to get him back into the lineup.”
Acquired from the Senators in a blockbuster trade in June, Tkachuk brings plenty of production and physicality with him. Over eight NHL seasons, he has totaled 463 points, including 213 goals and 250 assists, plus 1,921 hits in 572 games.
Florida’s Monday practice lines showed exactly how the team plans to deploy him to start the year.
Brady Tkachuk, Barkov and Reinhart formed the top unit up front, followed by Carter Verhaeghe, Sam Bennett and Matthew Tkachuk. Eetu Luostarinen centered Anton Lundell and Sandis Vilmanis, while Boko Imama skated with Lars Eller and Garnet Hathaway.
On defense, Gustav Forsling paired with Aaron Ekblad, Niko Mikkola with Seth Jones, and Dmitry Kulikov with Radko Gudas. Jacob Markmark and Akira Schmid were the goaltenders in practice, with Uvis Balinskis listed as the extra.
For fans planning to watch the opener with others, Florida is also hosting an official watch party at Funky Buddha Brewery in Oakland Park. The event starts at 4:30 p.m. ET, just before puck drop.
In Other News...
Panthers Suddenly Carry One Huge Opening Night Question
Florida spent the offseason making one of the biggest swings on the league calendar, adding Brady Tkachuk to a roster that already expects to live in the East playoff conversation. The move fits the Panthers win-now identity, but it also changes the way the club looks headed into 2026-27, especially with the core built to chase another deep run and every lineup decision carrying extra weight.
What makes the opening-night picture so intriguing is that the headline addition is not the only major change shaping this team. The Panthers also have to sort through a very different look in goal, and how they handle that position could matter as much as any forward-line combination when the season starts. It is the kind of question that can linger through training camp and into the first few weeks, giving Florida a little more uncertainty than fans are used to. [Read more 🡒]
Panthers Roster Battle Just Got More Interesting Before Opening Night
The Panthers roster trim moved a step closer to the finish line as the club placed eight players on waivers and had all eight clear by the deadline. The expected next stop for that group is Charlotte, where Floridas AHL affiliate should get a deeper look at players who were on the bubble during camp and have now been pushed into the organizations day-to-day plans.
Nathan Bastians path took a different turn, though, giving the Panthers another layer to sort through before opening night. After arriving in camp on a professional tryout, he landed a two-way contract, a move that adds another forward option to the mix while leaving Florida with a little more to weigh as it settles the back end of the roster. [Read more 🡒]
Panthers Hit Final Camp Checkpoint With Opening Night Lines Still Unsettled
With an abbreviated training camp winding down, Paul Maurice split the Panthers into two squads, keeping the main NHL group on the A Team while the rest filled out the B Team. It is the kind of checkpoint that usually starts to sharpen the picture for opening night, but Florida is still sorting through the usual early-season blend of lineup questions, salary-cap math and roster housekeeping as it gets ready for its season opener against the Carolina Hurricanes.
Brady Tkachuk is expected back on the ice today after being limited by tightness, another reminder that the Panthers are still managing bodies as well as roles. Even with the roster taking shape, one of the more notable camps questions remains how the bottom six settles in, with the team looking at a new fourth line arrangement that adds another layer to a roster already juggling waivers and possible LTIR moves. [Read more 🡒]