The Florida Panthers continue to slide in the NHL standings, but a recent report from Emily Kaplan indicates that they could be welcoming Matthew Tkachuk and Eetu Luostarinen back into the lineup by the end of the month.
The Florida Panthers could be welcoming back wingers Matthew Tkachuk and Eetu Luostarinen to their lineup at the end of the month, ESPN's Emily Kaplan reported last night.
The Panthers suffered another defeat last night, this time against an Atlantic Division rival in the Toronto Maple Leafs. The Panthers started with some fire, but once the Maple Leafs were able to weather the storm, they scored two unanswered goals in the first period and never looked back.
The Panthers attempted to respond with a shorthanded goal from Sam Reinhart late in the second, but Scott Laughton answered back in the third with his first of the season before Auston Matthews and John Tavares combined to ice the game with an empty net goal.
The Panthers continue to struggle with all the injuries they face, but if Kaplan's report is true, they'll be receiving a major boost.
Tkachuk's timeline has been nearly impossible to predict. Some said he may be ready by December, then the New Year and even that he'll be ready at least by the Olympics. What we do know is that he has begun skating again and is now targeting a late December - early January return.
Tkachuk's return will impact the Panthers' offense almost immediately. Brad Marchand has carried the load but has had solid help from Anton Lundell and Sam Reinhart. Tkachuk's return will improve the Panthers' 5-on-5 scoring, as well as their power play, which is clicking at 19.1 percent, 18th in the NHL.
Luostarinen may not drastically improve the Panthers' offense like Tkachuk will, but the 27-year-old is likely to enhance the 5-on-5 play and the penalty kill.
Welcoming back those two key forwards should help right the ship in Florida and allow them to begin making a surge back into a playoff spot. Currently, they sit in last place in the Eastern Conference, but they are just five points back of second and third in the Atlantic Division and six points back of a wild card spot in the East.
Although some recent reports have indicated that we could see both Panthers forwards return, coach Paul Maurice had a conflicting report.
"Even if Luostarinen comes back sometime toward the end (of the month), nobody else is."
That's a pretty strong statement to make in terms of Tkachuk's possible return. At the moment, there are many mixed messages, but it could be the Panthers' way of keeping every NHL team on their toes.
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