Brady Tkachuk ready, fourth line set for regular season opener

Brady Tkachuk was back at practice on the first line Monday when the Florida Panthers held their finale practice before boarding a flight to Raleigh, N.C., for the regular-season opener.

That was expected despite Tkachuk being held out of the third period of the second preseason game due to what was described as minor tightness. Coach Paul Maurice said all along that the Panthers’ most significant offseason acquisition would be ready to face the Stanley Cup champion Hurricanes at 5 p.m. Tuesday.

Monday, he was skating on the top line with Sasha Barkov and Sam Reinhart.

That line showed immediate chemistry during two preseason games against the Hurricanes. Brady Tkachuk had three goals and two assists; Barkov had two goals and two assists.

Maurice said Monday, “I think in practice, they are getting to know each other. There’s a fair bit of passing, but then when we got into the games, they make the shots when they’re supposed to make the shots. They’re not trying to be friendly out there. And I thought that that was the thing I enjoyed the most.”

The other forward lines in practice, which are expected to remain the same at Carolina:

Carter Verhaeghe – Sam Bennett - Matthew Tkachuk

Eetu Luostarinen – Anton Lundell – Sandis Vilmanis

Boko Imama – Lars Eller – Garnet Hathaway

Defensemen:

Gustav Forsling – Aaron Ekblad

Niko Mikkola – Seth Jones

Dmitry Kulikov – Radko Gudas

Uvis Balinskis (spare)

Goalies:

Jacob Markstrom

Akira Schmid

Panthers retain eight players from waivers

The Panthers received good news Monday afternoon when all eight of the players placed on waivers cleared and can open the AHL season with the Charlotte Checkers.

Notable among that group was forward Cole Reinhardt, who had an impressive camp, including three goals in preseason play.

But the Panthers opted for hard-hitting Boko Imama for the final opening on the fourth line.

“We had an appreciation for him prior to camp, and he did what he needed to do in camp,” Maurice said of Imama, who had a notable fight on his first shift with the Panthers against Carolina defenseman Bryce Montgomery.

The others who cleared waivers were forwards Cole Schwindt, Kai Schwindt, John Beecher, Sam Rafferty and Nathan Bastian, and Alexander Petrovic and Donovan Sebrango.

Panthers sign forward Nathan Bastian

The Panthers subsequently announced the signing of Bastian on a one-year, two-way contract.

Bastian, 28, appeared in 36 games with the Dallas Stars in 2025-26, registering seven points (6-1-7). The 6-foot-4, 217-pound native of Kitchener, Ontario has logged 312 NHL games between New Jersey, Seattle and Dallas.

He has totaled 75 points (39-36-75) in the regular season. He also played in 17 Stanley Cup Playoff games with New Jersey, recording two points (1-1-2).

Opening night in the NHL

After the championship banner as raised at the Lenovo Center, the Panthers and Carolina begin a tripleheader of opening-night action on ESPN at 5 p.m.

The New York Rangers at Boston Bruins will follow at 8 p.m., and conclude with the Chicago Black Hawks at Vegas Golden Knights at 10:30.

“Obviously, very excited to play meaningful games and been waiting for this for a long time,” said Barkov, who missed all of last season following knee surgery.

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