Sourdif was Florida's 2020 third round pick (87th overall) and will make his NHL debut Monday vs. New Jersey. The 21-year-old forward had seven goals, 17 assists, 32 PIMs and a -4 plus/minus in 48 games in his first season with Charlotte (AHL) in 2022-23. He will replace Mackie Sameskevich on Florida's third line in his debut.
Bobrovsky is likely to tend the crease in game three of the season for the Florida Panthers as they look to get things on track after an uninspired start. The Panthers have been outscored 8-4 in their first two games (0-2-0) and seem to be lacking the magic they displayed during their Cinderella run to the Stanley Cup Finals. The teams' poor performance has been mirrored by Bobrovsky, who has a forgettable 3.64 GAA and .873 SV% to start the season. Things won't get easier for Bobrovsky and the Panthers on Monday night as they face off against the high-octane offence of the New Jersey Devils, who are 1-0-1 to start the season. The Panthers are listed as +152 road underdogs as they search for the first victory.
Nosek failed to pick up a point in both games played so far this season but has one shot and is average 12:10 TOI and will miss Monday's matchup vs. Florida as he is day-to-day with a lower-body injury. The 31-year-old signed a one-year, $1 million deal in the offseason with New Jersey joining his fourth NHL team. Nosek reached the 400 career games mark in the Devils' previous game and has 42 goals and 101 points during that span across nine seasons.
The New Jersey Devils seem committed to continuing their goalie rotation early in the season as it appears Vanecek will return to the crease on Monday night. In his only game of the season thus far, Vanecek allowed three goals on 35 shots en route to securing a 4-3 victory over the Detroit Red Wings. The Devils are listed as -169 home favourites against a Florida Panthers team that has struggled immensely so far this season, scoring only four times in their first two games (0-2-0).
Bobrovsky allowed two goals on 21 shots in the Panthers' loss in Minnesota on Thursday. Bobrovsky was outplayed by Filip Gustavsson, but it wasn't a bad start for the veteran netminder. He struggled in two games against the Jets (.857 SV%) a season ago and was 10-11-1 with a 3.27 GAA and .892 SV% on the road.
Lundell missed the Panthers' practice Wednesday for precautionary reasons but took part in Thursday's morning skate ahead of their game vs. Minnesota and is still. game-time decision for the affiar. The 22-year-old is entering his third full NHL season with Florida and had 12 goals, 21 assists, 152 SOG, 43 PIMs, and a +1 plus/minus in his sophomore campaign in 2022-23. The Panthers should provide an injury update closer to warmups Thursday.
Bennett will not be ready for the Panthers' opening game of the season as he did not travel with the team as he recovers from a lower-body injury. Last season, Bennett scored 40 points (16G / 24A) in 63 games for the Panthers while predominantly playing in a second-line role. Eetu Luostarinen, who recorded 43 points (17G / 26A) in 82 games last season, is expected to handle some extra responsibility on the second line and second powerplay unit during Bennett's absence.
Entering his fourth NHL season, Vanecek is coming off of his busiest campaign which saw him play 52 games (33-11-4) and record a 2.45 GAA and .911 SV%. Vanecek had an extremely strong start to last season before cooling down to a .896 SV% in his final 16 regular season games (9-6-1). His struggles continued in the postseason where he posted a 4.64 GAA and .825 SV% in seven games (4-1-3) and battled for time with Akira Schmid. The two goalies will likely share time in the crease this season unless one can pull away as the clear favourite. The New Jersey Devils are considered a serious Stanley Cup contender this season and open their campaign as -230 home favourites against the Detroit Red Wings.
In 50 games last season (24-20-3), Bobrovsky posted a very pedestrian 3.07 GAA and .901 SV% before ultimately losing priority in the crease to, then-Panthers' backup, Alex Lyon down the stretch. Bobrovsky regained his composure in the postseason, leading the Panthers to the Stanley Cup Finals with a 2.78 GAA and .915 SV% in 19 games (12-6-0). Bobrovsky is coming off a lacklustre preseason, posting a 2.75 GAA and .883 SV% in three games (1-2-0), and has been frustratingly inconsistent since joining the Panthers in 2019-20. It's difficult to predict what to expect from Bobrovsky as the Panthers are listed as +114 road underdogs in their season-opener against the Minnesota Wild.
Kahkonen struggled in 2022-23 as he was 9-20-7 with a 3.85 GAA and a .883 SV% but will draw the opening night start for San Jose as they host Vegas on Thursday. The 27-year-old is entering his fifth NHL season and will hope to help the Sharks finish outside the bottom three after they were 29th in the NHL in goals against last season (315). He takes on the Vegas Golden Knights, who are 1-0-0 after a 4-1 win over Seattle on opening night that saw them put 28 shots on goal.
Lundell missed the Panthers' practice Wednesday for precautionary reasons and is expected to play in their opener vs. Minnesota on Thursday but is a game-time decision. The 22-year-old is entering his third full NHL season with Florida and had 12 goals, 21 assists, 152 SOG, 43 PIMs, and a +1 plus/minus in his sophomore campaign in 2022-23. The Panthers should provide an injury update closer to game-time Thursday.
Sourdif was sent to Charlotte (AHL) earlier this week but has been recalled Tuesday to provide forward depth. The 23-year-old had seven goals, 17 assists, 32 PIMs, and a -4 plus/minus through 48 games played with Charlotte (AHL) in 2022-23. He has yet to make his NHL debut after being draft in the third round of the 2020 NHL Entry Draft (87th overall).
Greer played his first full NHL season last year, tallying 12 points (5G / 7A) and 114 PIM in 61 games for the Bruins. The former 39th overall pick of the Colorado Avalanche in the 2015 NHL Entry Draft will likely serve as a depth forward this season for the Flames.
Bennett is unlikely to be ready for the opening game of the season and could miss two weeks as he recovers from a lower-body injury. Last season, Bennett scored 40 points (16G / 24A) in 63 games for the Panthers while predominantly playing in a second-line role. Eetu Luostarinen, who recorded 43 points (17G / 26A) in 82 games last season, is expected to handle some extra responsibility on the second line and second powerplay unit during Bennett's absence.
Nate Schmidt did not take part in the Jets' practice Thursday as he is dealing with a lower-body injury and is considered day-to-day. The 32-year-old defenseman is in his third season with Winnipeg and had seven goals, 12 assists, 101 SOG, 19 PIMs and a +15 plus/minus through 71 games played in 2022-23. The Jets are expecting to have him back before their season opener in October.
Verhaeghe was forced to miss Florida's training camp skate Friday as he is day-to-day with muscle tightness but is expected to be ready for opening night after facing a similar injury last preseason. The 28-year-old left-winger had a breakout season in 2023-24 with 42 goals, 31 assists, 46 PIMs, 275 SOG and a +10 plus/minus. He is entering his fifth NHL season and has 93 goals and 177 points in 254 career games played.
Panthers GM Barry Zito did not have a definitive timetable for when Ekblad is expected to make his season debut but said it's safe to assume he'll be back between "November to January." That timeline doesn't clarify Ekblad's status, but more detailed updates could become available throughout training camp.
Both Ekblad and Brandon Montour underwent offseason shoulder surgery, and GM Bill Zito said they're "on time" and are expected to be back in "a month or two." This puts both defensemen on pace to be ready close to the start of the regular season. The Panthers play just eight games in October, so even if Ekblad misses the start of the season, he may not miss too many games.
Luostarinen had 17 goals, 26 assists, 132 SOG, 28 PIMs and a +19 plus/minus through 82 games with Florida in 2022-23 and has signed a three-year, $9 million contract extension ($3,000,000 AAV). The 24-year-old centre joined Florida after one short season in Carolina in 2020-21 and has 29 goals, 78 points and 259 SOG through 212 career games.
Nosek had seven goals, 11 assists, 69 SOG, 48 PIMs and a +9 plus/minus through 66 games played with Boston in 2022-23 and has signed a one-year, $1 million contract with New Jersey. The 30-year-old centre will be joining his fourth NHL team and he has 42 goals, 101 points and 146 PIMs across 398 career games played.
