Key Panthers, including Jones and Bennett, return from injury. Nolan Foote debuts against Vancouver, facing his father's team.
The Florida Panthers are making some lineup changes ahead of Tuesday night’s game in Vancouver.
Defenseman Seth Jones will return to Florida’s lineup after missing about 10 weeks with a broken collarbone.
He suffered the injury during the NHL Winter Classic back on Jan. 2.
"We thought it was going to be about a 3-4 week injury, and it's been a couple months," said Panthers Head Coach Paul Maurice. "He's excited to get back in. He's 100% healthy."
Also sliding into the Cats’ lineup are forwards Sam Bennett and Nolan Foote.
Bennett was hurt during Florida’s win over the Columbus Blue Jackets last week and sat out Sunday’s 6-2 defeat in Seattle.
Foote was called up by Florida from AHL Charlotte earlier this week and will make his Panthers debut against the Canucks, who are coached by his father, Adam Foote.
Florida signed Foote to a one-year, two-way deal back in July. He’s spent the season with Charlotte, accumulating 14 goals and 32 points in 54 games with the Checkers.
"He's a big man, he can get on the body and he's got some hands, so that's all we want to see," Maurice said of Foote. "Keep his game as simple as he possibly can so he can go as fast as he possibly can and his linemates can read off him, and then make a difference on the forecheck."
Coming out of the lineup are forwards Evan Rodrigues and Eetu Luostarinen, and defenseman Niko Mikkola.
According to Jameson Olive, who was at Florida’s morning skate, this is how their lines and pairings could look:
Carter Verhaeghe – Sam Bennett – Matthew Tkachuk
Jesper Boqvist – Anton Lundell – Mackie Samoskevich
A.J. Greer – Tomas Nosek – Cole Reinhardt
Nolan Foote – Luke Kunin – Vinnie Hinostroza
Gus Forsling – Aaron Ekblad
Dmitry Kulikov – Seth Jones
Donovan Sebrango – Mike Benning
Puck drop from Rogers Arena in Vancouver is set for 10 p.m. ET.
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Photo caption: Dec 7, 2025; Sunrise, Florida, USA; Florida Panthers defenseman Seth Jones (3) celebrates with teammates after scoring against the New York Islanders during the third period at Amerant Bank Arena. (Sam Navarro-Imagn Images)