The combination of Steven Lorentz centering Ryan Lomberg and Nick Cousins could be a formidable fourth line

Florida Panthers Head Coach Paul Maurice is preparing his soldiers for battle.

The first half of Panthers training camp was spent evaluating a group of nearly 60 players, many of which were not going to be playing in the NHL this season.

Still, every single person, from prospects to veterans, received the same fair shake before the decision makers began trimming down the roster to just a couple dozen.

Earlier this week, the Panthers cut 13 players from the training camp group.

The roster currently sits at 35 players, eight of which are considered injured and have been skating on the side. Five of those eight (Sasha Barkov, Brett Ritchie, Alex True, Grigori Denisenko and John Ludvig) are expected to rejoin the main group and play in at least one of the final preseason games this week, while the remaining three (Aaron Ekblad, Brandon Montour and Jonah Gadjovich) are still not close to being cleared for full contact and participation.

As Maurice and his colleagues configure the players on the roster to what they hope will be the most formidable Opening Night unit possible, they're trying out different line combinations and special teams groupings.

On Tuesday night in Orlando, one of the lines put together by Maurice was of particular interest.

It consisted of Steven Lorentz centering a group with Ryan Lomberg on the left and Nick Cousins on the right.

Cousins had initially been skating with Sam Bennett and Matthew Tkachuk when camp opened, the linemates he'd been grouped with for the majority of Florida's run to the Stanley Cup Final earlier this year.

Rookie Mackie Samoskevich, Florida's 2021 first-round draft pick, is having a strong camp and pushing for a spot in the Panthers top six. Cousins being moved to a potential fourth line spot with Lomberg and Lortentz is an interesting potential wrinkle of that happening.

While we're still a ways away from anything that we see in a preseason game being close to a sure thing, the new-look fourth line is one that could be fun to watch.

The massive 6-foot-4, 206-pound Lorentz has shown to have an endless motor when on the ice, going hard regardless of which zone he's in and using his immense size to his advantage, while Lomberg is deceptively quick and never afraid to get into the dirty areas. Cousins meanwhile has sneaky offensive skill and proven he can play up and down the forward lines.

"It was awesome," Lorentz said after the game when asked about skating with Lomberg and Cousins. "I thought we had some chemistry early, working below the dots and stuff like that. (There were) positives we can take away and build on as the season progresses. I think that can be a really effective line going forward."

While the game itself was a slower, penalty-filled mess of an exhibition match, there were plenty of moments where the bruising, thicker brand of hockey was needed, and that's where the trio was able to flex their collective muscle.

"I didn't mind that (line)," Maurice said. "I liked their game, and that's what you expect. The game was a bit of a grinder, and that's the game they play, so it was better suited for them."

That's a sentiment that Lorentz and Lomberg have repeated during training camp.

The highly-physical and in-your-face brand of hockey that Maurice asks his forwards to perform is right up the ally of Lorentz, who must've felt like a kid in a candy store as the hatred in the Florida-Tampa Bay rivalry began bubbling to the surface on Tuesday.

"The physicality was there, it picked up where I assume it left off last year," Lorentz said through a smile. "It's good to see the emotions this high early in the season."

The Panthers have two preseason games left, both against the Lightning, coming up on Thursday in Tampa and Saturday in Sunrise.

We'll be keeping a close eye on the lines that Maurice runs, and how the chemistry works among the groups.

Opening Night against the Minnesota Wild just is eight days away.