Sam Lafferty To Make Florida Panthers Debut In Home Opener Against Minnesota Wild

With injuries to Aleksander Barkov and Brad Marchand, the Florida Panthers lineup is beginning to look different once again.

The team has moved players up and down, and off-season acquisitions are finding their way into the lineup.

Today, that will be veteran forward Sam Lafferty.

Lafferty is an NHL journeyman. The 31-year-old has played 378 career NHL games with five teams, and the Panthers will be his sixth. He's potted 41 goals and 92 points in his career, with his career high coming in the 2023-24 season, when he scored 13 goals and 24 points. 

In his career, Lafferty has played for the Pittsburgh Penguins, Chicago Blackhawks, Toronto Maple Leafs, Vancouver Canucks, Buffalo Sabres, and returned to the Blackhawks before joining the Panthers.

For tonight's fixture against the Minnesota Wild, Lafferty will be the fourth-line center with Boko Immana and Garnet Hathaway on his wings.

Lafferty is known for his speed, defensive work, and penalty-killing effectiveness. On occasion, Lafferty can wow opponents with slick hands off the rush, but for the most part, he is effective on the forecheck and by getting his 6-foot-2 frame in front of the net. 

As Lafferty takes the fourth-line center role, Lars Eller moves on to center Brady Tkachuk and Sam Reinhart. Eller is off to a strong start this season, posting three assists in four games. 

The Wild enter tonight's game after losing their previous two encounters. Like the Panthers, they're dealing with the injury bug and will be without Filip Gustavsson, Brock Faber, Nick Foligno, and likely Olli Maatta. 

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