Matthew Tkachuk return gives Florida Panthers a new problem

Monday night finally brings that specific buzz back to Amerant Bank Arena.

Matthew Tkachuk is set to make his season debut against the San Jose Sharks after August surgery for a sports hernia and a torn adductor.

The fun argument starts immediately, because this lineup has learned to function without him.

Paul Maurice is penciling Tkachuk in on a third line with Evan Rodrigues and Mackie Samoskevich, and that is not a punishment.

Tkachuk on a third line can be a matchup nightmare, not a minutes haircut.

If Florida can roll three lines that all tilt the ice, opponents lose the easy choice of hard-matching one shutdown unit all night.

As a fan watching this, I cannot wait for the first net-front scrum, because that is when the building usually wakes up.

Rust is real after a long layoff, but Tkachuk's best work is between the dots and at the top of the crease.

He can find rebounds, screens, and cheap chaos even if his legs need a period to feel normal.

It also helps that he has proven he can impact games while less than perfect. NHL.com credits him with 23 points in 23 playoff games last spring, and that kind of production travels no matter what line he starts on.

The bigger shift might be in the room, not the power play.

Florida has been in survival mode, and guys like Uvis Balinskis have taken on heavier looks, with his new two-year extension showing the team trusts the growth.

A.J. Greer sticking on the Bennett and Verhaeghe line is another clue that the depth earned real rope.

If the bottom of the lineup has confidence now, Tkachuk is walking back into a tougher, louder version of the Panthers.