FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – Brady Tkachuk is ready to rock.
After suffering an injury in the second game of the preseason, the big-time offseason acquisition will be in the lineup when the Florida Panthers kick off their 2026-27 campaign against the Carolina Hurricanes at Lenovo Center on Tuesday at 5 p.m. ET.
“Good to go,” head coach Paul Maurice said.
Acquired from the Ottawa Senators in a blockbuster trade back in June, Tkachuk has notched 463 points (213G, 250A) and 1,921 hits in 572 games over his first eight NHL campaigns.
Getting off to a hot start with the Panthers, the 27-year-old forward racked up a team-leading five points (3G, 2A) during the preseason despite suiting up for just five periods of play.
In addition to carving out a spot on the top power-play unit, Tkachuk will begin the season on Florida’s star-studded top line alongside captain Aleksander Barkov and Sam Reinhart.
On the power play, Tkachuk will share the ice with his older brother, Matthew.
“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.”
MONDAY’S PRACTICE LINES
Forwards
Brady Tkachuk – Aleksander Barkov – Sam Reinhart
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
Goaltenders
Jacob Markstrom
Akira Schmid
Extra: Uvis Balinskis
WATCH PARTY
Want to watch the season opener with fellow Cats fans?
We’ve got you covered!
When the Panthers drop the puck against the Hurricanes, make sure you’re at Funky Buddha Brewery in Oakland Park to celebrate a new season at the official watch party.
The party begins at 4:30 p.m. ET.
For more information, click HERE.
