Florida Panthers line rushes at practice and possible lineup tweaks

Florida's Wednesday skate had that classic «read between the lines» vibe, even before the rushes started to look different.

Sam Reinhart wasn't in his usual spot, and the combos moved fast.

Brad Marchand was the first eyebrow raiser, skating with Anton Lundell and Eetu Luostarinen in the top group.

That's a pretty direct «we want forecheck pressure and retrievals» look.

Right behind them, Carter Verhaeghe stayed attached to Sam Bennett and Matthew Tkachuk.

If you're searching for chaos in the slot and quick strike off broken plays, that trio still screams «top-six» even in practice.

The middle of the lineup felt more like a jigsaw, with Mackie Samoskevich and A.J. Greer floating into different looks next to Evan Rodrigues.

Sandis Vilmanis and Cole Schwindt were also mixed in down the lineup, which is usually a coach testing who can survive five minutes of messy hockey.

The key note, though, is that Reinhart sitting isn't automatically panic time.

Paul Maurice's group has done maintenance days all season, especially with heavy minutes piling up.

Marchand, meanwhile, is still living in day-to-day land, and Maurice flat-out called him «certainly close.»

Florida clearly wants him ramping without forcing something stupid at the wrong moment.

If you're a Panthers fan, you can feel the mix of nerves and stubborn confidence, like, «please just be routine,» while also enjoying the chaos of new line chemistry.

On the broader injury board, Seth Jones' situation keeps shaping everything around the blue line, and it even reaches the Olympics. USA Hockey announced Anaheim Ducks defenseman Jackson LaCombe as Jones' replacement for Team USA.

The Panthers can't replace Jones' minutes with one guy anyway, so it turns into «more for Forsling and Ekblad,» plus more stress on breakouts when tired legs show up.

Jones was described as week to week earlier this month, and Florida has been living in that reality ever since.

Thursday against Winnipeg feels like the next real checkpoint, not just for who dresses, but for whether these trial balloons at practice actually turn into a cleaner top-six identity.