Florida Panthers projected lineup for matchup vs Minnesota Wild
|
Jonathan Ouimet
Jan 24, 2026 (1:07 PM)
|
|
Photo credit: James Carey Lauder-Imagn Images
Brad Marchand hit the ice as an extra while Florida Panthers morning skate lines shifted in Minnesota, and the roster squeeze feels real.
Florida rolled out a new top line built around Sam Reinhart, with Eetu Luostarinen and Anton Lundell doing the heavy lifting around him.
Reinhart has been the engine so far at 24-23-47, and this look screams «feed him touches early.»
The second line stayed spicy with Carter Verhaeghe, Sam Bennett, and Matthew Tkachuk, which is basically Florida's «start a fire» trio.
Bennett's 18-21-39 pace fits that role, win pucks, get to the crease, make the goalie miserable.
The third group was A.J. Greer with Evan Rodrigues and Mackie Samoskevich, a line that feels built for straight-line shifts and quick changes.
The fourth unit had Sandis Vilmanis with Cole Schwindt and Luke Kunin, which tells you Florida wants honest minutes, not cute minutes.
On the blue line, Gustav Forsling with Aaron Ekblad is the classic «calm it down» pairing.
Brad Marchand puts pressure on Florida Panthers lineup
Panthers fans are tired of injury roulette, but seeing Marchand involved at all brings that nervous kind of hope.
Marchand sits at 23-23-46 in 41 games, so even limited availability changes the math for everybody else.
Daily sites still flag him on IR, so «extra» might mean a cautious ramp, not a green light.
Jesper Boqvist and Donovan Sebrango being in the extra mix matters too, because Florida can rotate legs without nuking the structure.
This is also the reality of the Panthers right now: 26-20-3, hanging in, but every lineup card feels like a puzzle.
Between the pipes, Sergei Bobrovsky's 19-14-1 with a 3.09 and .875 is a number Florida has to protect with details.
Minnesota's sitting 29-14-9, so the next game is a clean test of whether these lines can defend first and still get Reinhart to his spots.
FORWARDS
L1: Luostarinen | Lundell | Reinhart
L2: Verhaeghe | Bennett | Tkachuk
L3: Greer | Rodrigues| Samoskevich
L4: Vilmanis | Schwindt | Kunin
L1: Luostarinen | Lundell | Reinhart
L2: Verhaeghe | Bennett | Tkachuk
L3: Greer | Rodrigues| Samoskevich
L4: Vilmanis | Schwindt | Kunin
DEFENSE
D1: Forsling | Ekblad
D2: Mikkola | Balinskis
D3: Bjornfot | Petry
D1: Forsling | Ekblad
D2: Mikkola | Balinskis
D3: Bjornfot | Petry
EXTRA SKATERS ON THE ICE (rotating in drills)
Boqvist | Marchand | Sebrango
Boqvist | Marchand | Sebrango
Also read on Sunrise Hockey Insider :
The Florida Panthers just did something rare for their loyal fans
The Florida Panthers just did something rare for their loyal fans