Sam Lafferty’s Panthers debut is set for Saturday night, and the timing fits the kind of player he’s been throughout a long NHL journey: ready to jump in wherever the opening appears.
With Sasha Barkov and Brad Marchand out for a bit, Florida has a hole to fill, and Lafferty is the next man up. He is expected to make his first appearance for the Panthers in the home opener against the Minnesota Wild at Amerant Bank Arena.
Lafferty arrived in Florida after a career that has already taken him through five teams in his first seven NHL seasons. Bill Zito signed him on the opening day of free agency, banking on the traits that have followed him around the league - speed, versatility, forechecking and hard-nosed play. He has also been used extensively on the penalty kill with previous clubs.
The lineup shuffle created by the injuries pushes Lars Eller up from the fourth line to center Brady Tkachuk and Sam Reinhart. That opens a spot for Lafferty between Bokondji Imama and Garnett Hathaway.
The three spent extra time together after Friday’s drills, though Lafferty said the familiarity was already there from camp and preseason work.
“I played with them two (pre-season) games…We spent so much time together at the rink for those two weeks of camp, so I feel like I know both of those guys really well,’’ Lafferty said.
“I know what their games are about. They’re honest hockey players.
They play the game hard. They play the right way.
That’s the way I’m going to try to play as well.”
It was no accident that all three landed in Florida. Hathaway came over in a trade from Philadelphia just days before free agency, while Lafferty and Imama were signed on the first day of the open market.
For Lafferty, this is nothing new. He took his rookie lap with Pittsburgh in 2019, and Saturday will be his sixth team debut. The nerves may be familiar, but so is the lift that comes with a new start - especially in a home opener.
“It’s always exciting. A ton of energy.
A ton of excitement,’’ Lafferty said. “I think everyone’s ready to go.
It’s been fun to watch what the guys have done so far. I think they’ll be even more juice for the home opener.”
He came to Florida knowing the path to a permanent role would not be simple. The Panthers’ depth makes every job hard to claim. Even so, the organization’s reputation made the move worthwhile.
“Their track record speaks for itself,’’ Lafferty said. “You hear stories about the culture and how good it is.
What a fun place it is to come to work every day. The first time I stepped in this building, even before camp, I can tell by the way things are.
It’s a little bit different here. Just seeing how dedicated guys are and how committed.
Everyone’s pulling on the rope. There are so many great players in here.
It’s fun for me to see how they go about it every day.”
Paul Maurice has already shown he’ll move depth players around when injuries force the issue. Eller has fit into the elevated center role, and Reinhart has even handled time at center before. Maurice said he would be open to sliding Lafferty to the wing with Reinhart at pivot, among other options.
“I’m sure we’re going to get an opportunity over the next six weeks to discover all of it.”
Nobody gets a true rookie lap on Saturday, and the Panthers didn’t have one on opening night on the road either. But a few players - Lafferty, Ellers, Imama and Brady Tkachuk among them - are still in line for their first home Panthers experience when Florida faces Minnesota.
The game is scheduled for 6 p.m. at Amerant Bank Arena. Minnesota and Florida split last season’s two meetings, and the Wild lead the all-time regular-season series 22-10-3, with one tie. The Panthers visit the Buffalo Sabres on Monday at 1 p.m.
In Other News...
Panthers Put Massive Pressure On Brady Tkachuk Right Away
Brady Tkachuks move to South Florida came with plenty of noise and even more expectation. After the playoff sweep, he pushed for a trade out of Ottawa and made it clear Florida was the destination he wanted, and the Panthers paid a steep price to bring him in. For a team already leaning on its depth because of injuries to key players, the fit comes with immediate pressure for Tkachuk to look like the kind of difference-maker that can justify the investment.
So far, the opening stretch has been quieter than anyone around the Panthers would have hoped. Through his first four games, Tkachuk has not put up a point, which only sharpens the focus on everything else he brings in the meantime and how quickly the offense can start to flow around him. The bigger question now is not whether Florida wanted him, but how soon the production follows. [Read more 🡒]