Brady Tkachuk Opens Panthers Camp on Barkov's Wing
Florida's newest forward drew the top line alongside Aleksander Barkov and Sam Reinhart on the first day of training camp in Fort Lauderdale.
Brady Tkachuk skated on a line with Aleksander Barkov and Sam Reinhart in his first practice as a Florida Panther on Thursday at Baptist Health IcePlex, and admitted he was nervous despite entering his ninth NHL season.
"I was definitely really nervous, I'm not going to lie to you," Tkachuk said. "A lot of nervous energy. It's a short camp, so every moment means so much. I thought it was a great first day. Everyone pushed themselves."
Tkachuk, acquired from Ottawa in a June trade, put up 59 points in 60 games last season. He said the Panthers' reputation for brutal camp practices was not overstated. "It lived up to the expectations," he said. "All the boys were saying how hard it was, and it definitely was really hard."
On Barkov, a three-time Selke Trophy winner, and Reinhart, the runner-up for that award in 2025: "They're two of the top players in this league. I'm just going to be fortunate to be in that position. I think I can learn a lot from those two guys, their skill sets."
The rest of the top nine looked familiar in spots and new in others. Matthew Tkachuk lined up with Sam Bennett and Carter Verhaeghe. With Brad Marchand set to miss October while rehabbing offseason surgery, rookie Sandis Vilmanis got the first look alongside Anton Lundell and Eetu Luostarinen.
Vilmanis had three goals and two assists in 19 games with Florida last season and 11 points in seven games for Latvia at the World Championship in May.
"His stick is just so good. He's a big, strong man," coach Paul Maurice said. "We also saw him have some range with the puck."
Maurice was blunt about how much stock to put in Day 1 groupings: "If we had to drop the puck tonight, those would be the three lines we'd start with."
One concern carried over. Forward Jonah Gadjovich is out indefinitely. "Clearly it's been a long-term issue for us, and it hasn't resolved," Maurice said. "We're still looking at different options and searching for some answers."
Florida has four preseason games to sort it out. The first comes Sunday at 7 p.m. ET against the Carolina Hurricanes at Amerant Bank Arena.
