Brady Tkachuk looks the part on Florida Panthers’ top line in preseason debut
Aleksander Barkov is back.
Brady Tkachuk is a Florida Panther.
And the Panthers’ new top forward line looked pretty good in its preseason debut.
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Tkachuk (the younger brother of fellow Panthers forward Matthew Tkachuk) had a Gordie Howe hat trick with two goals, an assist and a fight while Barkov had a goal and assist of his own as Florida defeated the Carolina Hurricanes 6-3 on Sunday night at Amerant Bank Arena in the first of four Panthers preseason games before the 2026-27 campaign formally gets underway Sept. 29 against Carolina.
A lot more also happened in the game. Notably, forward Cole Reinhardt scored twice as he competes for one of the few open spots on Florida’s Opening Night roster, defenseman Niko Mikkola tied Brady Tkachuk with a team-high three points (one goal, two assists) and goaltender Jacob Markstrom had a decent performance in net with 21 saves on 24 shots.
“It was a professional game,” Panthers coach Paul Maurice said. “They did what they needed. They touched the puck enough, which is kind of what you want.”
But the instant chemistry Brady Tkachuk showed on Florida’s top line with Barkov and Sam Reinhart is something that will be paramount to a bounceback season after the Panthers missed the playoffs in an injury-riddled 2025-26 campaign.
And if the trio’s individual track records are any indication, the potential is high.
Barkov is a three-time Selke winner. Reinhart is a one-time Selke finalist who has scored at least 29 goals in each of his five seasons with the Panthers. Brady Tkachuk, who the Panthers acquired from the Ottawa Senators this offseason for four draft picks (including three first-rounders), had 463 career points with the Senators and rounds out the group by bringing an added physical presence to that top line with his 6-4, 226-pound frame to go along with his ability to produce points.
“Every time they touch the puck, something special happens,” Brady Tkachuk said of Barkov and Reinhart. “So to have that opportunity, I’m just going to try to bring my element, bring my game, and help out in any way possible. But for me, I’m just excited about that opportunity to some of the best players in the NHL.”
Barkov called it “a dream come true” to play with someone of Brady Tkachuk’s and build.
“We have a lot of those guys on our team that you play against at some point in your career, and you think ‘I hate to play against him; I would love to have him on play with him,’ and he’s one of those guys,” Barkov said. “If Paul says we’re on the same line, we’re on the same line.”
Maurice is saying just that.
And he is going to allow that group to get some run early in the season to build chemistry.
“I’m not going to be worried about getting Brady a bunch of points so that everybody can be happy with the trade,” Maurice said. “He’s a way better player than that, way more mature man than that. I’ll let it run for a little while.”
If Sunday was any indication, he won’t have to worry about that. According to the advanced hockey statistics website Natural Stat Trick, the Panthers had an 8-1 edge in shots on goal and 7-4 advantage in scoring chances in the nearly nine-and-a-half minutes the trio of Barkov, Reinhart and Brady Tkachuk were on the ice.
The potential was evident in the opening minutes, when Barkov found Brady Tkachuk in stride after splitting the Hurricanes defense. Brady Tkachuk took a pair of shots one-on-one against Carolina goaltender Pyotr Kochetkov, but both were stopped.
No matter. Brady Tkachuk scored Florida’s first goal at the 12:02 mark of the first period on the power play. Pyotr stopped a Barkov shot from up close. The puck then kicked out to Matthew Tkachuk, who sent the pass to Brady Tkachuk in the left circle. He finished the play with a one-timer that got past Pyotr to tie the game at 1-1.
Barkov, playing in his first game at Amerant Bank Arena since a knee injury in training camp sidelined him for all the 2025-26 season, put Florida ahead 2-1 2:30 into the second period when he took a pass from Brady Tkachuk on a breakaway and scored on a shot from the slot.
“He’s not just a big guy who stays on the puck,” Barkov said. “He makes plays, he scores goals, he does everything. That’s what’s special about him. He’s not just one-trick pony. He has a lot of things in his bag.”
And in the third period, Brady Tkachuk took exception to Charles Alexis Legault’s hit on Barkov in the corner and immediately dropped the gloves before sealing the game with an empty-net goal.
“He’s our captain, he’s our leader,” Brady Tkachuk said. “I didn’t like the hit, but yeah. I’ll just leave it at that.”
Added Barkov: “Of course I don’t want to fall in the corner, but yeah, he’s one of those guys who has your back at any moment. We do have each other’s backs here. It’s a great feeling to know about.”
And Sunday gives the Panthers something to build upon. It was one game against a Carolina team that dressed very few players expected to be regular contributors during the season, but the focus nevertheless was to get an understanding of what Florida’s new-look top-of-the lineup can bring.
They passed the first test.
“I thought it was a good first game,” Brady Tkachuk said. “I thought we made good small-area plays to one another. It’s nice. It was our first crack at it, and I’m excited about what level we can get to.”
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