The Florida Panthers released their Opening Night roster on Tuesday. Considering the team’s current injury issues had been known well ahead of Monday’s roster deadline, it was more a matter of learning which players had been designated where and how it all shook out. First, we’ll get to the 23-man roster. Forwards: Sam Benentt, A.J. Greer, Mackie Samoskevich, Jonah Gadjovich, Sam Reinhart, Anton Lundell, Evan Rodrigues, Noah Gregor, Carger Verhaeghe, Eetu Luostarinen, Brad Marchand, Jesper Boqvist, Luke Kunin, Cole Schwindt Defensemen: Jeff Petry, Seth Jones, Aaron Ekblad, Dmitry Kulikov, Uvis Balinskis, Gustav Forsling, Niko Mikkola Goaltenders: Daniil Tarasov, Sergei Bobrovsky Both Matthew Tkachuk and Tomas Nosek remain on LTIR, as both had respective offseason surgeries and aren’t expected back until around December or January. Florida Captain Sasha Barkov was also placed on LTIR after having surgery late last month to repair his ACL and MCL, which were torn during a training camp practice in Fort Lauderdale. The team initially gave him a 7-to-9-month recovery timeline, and there is hope that if all goes well, he could be back should Florida get back to the playoffs. As for the salary cap, after placing the aforementioned forwards on LTIR, the Panthers come in $2.267 under the ceiling, according to PuckPedia [https://puckpedia.com/team/florida-panthers]. Of course, if and when they bring anyone off LTIR and onto the active roster, room will need to be made in order for the team to be cap compliant. That's a bridge Florida's front office will cross when they arrive at it, but you can bet they already have examined multiple hypothetical situations, even while knowing that any amount of variables could come into play between now and then. For now, with all their paperwork now properly filed, the Panthers can get back to the business of winning hockey games, something they’ve done quite a bit of over the past several seasons. The Cats will host the Chicago Blackhawks on Tuesday afternoon to open the NHL season. Puck drop is scheduled for 5 p.m., but not until Florida raises their second Stanley Cup banner to the rafters at Amerant Bank Arena. For a game preview with forward line and defensive pairing projections, click here [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/florida-panthers/game-day/panthers-to-raise-second-stanley-cup-banner-as-opening-night-against-chicago-has-arrived]. LATEST STORIES FROM THE HOCKEY NEWS - FLORIDA Panthers Sign Noah Gregor To One-Year, Two-Way Deal [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/florida-panthers/latest-news/panthers-sign-noah-gregor-to-one-year-two-way-deal] Panthers to raise second Stanley Cup banner as Opening Night against Chicago has arrived [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/florida-panthers/game-day/panthers-to-raise-second-stanley-cup-banner-as-opening-night-against-chicago-has-arrived] Florida Panthers receive 2025 Stanley Cup Championship rings during private event in Fort Lauderdale [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/florida-panthers/latest-news/florida-panthers-receive-2025-stanley-cup-championship-rings-during-private-event-in-fort-lauderdale] Lightning's J.J. Moser And Scott Sabourin Suspended For Altercations Against Panthers [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/florida-panthers/latest-news/lightning-s-j-j-moser-and-scott-sabourin-suspended-for-altercations-against-panthers] The Hockey Show: Predicting winners for first NHL games of the season [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/florida-panthers/latest-news/the-hockey-show-predicting-winners-for-first-nhl-games-of-the-season] Photo caption: Oct 2, 2025; Tampa, Florida, USA; Florida Panthers center Eetu Luostarinen (27) reacts after scoring a goal against the Tampa Bay Lightning in the first period at Benchmark International Arena. (Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images)
