Florida Panthers coach Paul Maurice's positive comments on Tkachuck and Marchand status

On Saturday, Maurice was asked about the two stars and didn't play coy.

For Florida, it's not just about getting «names» back, it's about getting the Panthers back to their usual identity.

Without Tkachuk's puck protection and Marchand's bite on the forecheck, the team has had to win games with thinner margins.

The encouraging part is that it wasn't only talk. Both players were on the ice at practice Wednesday, which is usually the last checkpoint before Maurice starts talking about lineup timing instead of rehab timelines.

The mood around this team changes fast when those two are even near the bench, and Panthers fans have been starving for that jolt.

Marchand's season line shows exactly what Florida is missing on the scoreboard. He has 23 goals and 46 points in 41 games, and he's been a power-play driver even when the legs are not perfect.

Tkachuk hasn't played this season after surgery in late August, and the longer he's out, the more Florida's attack leans on one-and-done rushes instead of layered zone time.

There's also a roster-building angle to this, because both deals are real money and real expectations.

Marchand carries a $5.25 million cap hit and Tkachuk sits at $9.5 million, so when they're back, the Panthers' forward depth starts looking like a problem for everyone else again.

A rebound game vs the Capitals tonight would set the table for a productive next week, both in the standings and in the room.

If Florida can tighten up defensively, and stack a full sixty, it also makes the runway smoother for the return of star players, because nobody comes back needing to play hero hockey right away.