Overview
- The Panthers opened training camp Thursday with Brady Tkachuk taking the ice for the first time as a Florida player and teammates reporting a demanding first practice.
- Head coach Paul Maurice said he will not start Sam Bennett between Matthew and Brady Tkachuk, warning that such a trio would be too volatile and that he will delay that experiment for now.
- Captain Aleksander Barkov told reporters he feels “totally normal” after recovering from a season-ending ACL injury and is available for top-line duty as the club explores a Barkov–Brady combination.
- Brad Marchand is sidelined for camp while rehabbing and the team plans an October program to target his return early in the regular season, and Jacob Markström has taken over primary net duties from Sergei Bobrovsky.
- The Panthers face a compressed preseason schedule with four exhibition games, restrictions on veteran ice time, and a smaller prospects group, which will shorten the window for lineup decisions and team bonding.