The Florida Panthers play their first pre-season game on Sunday against the Carolina Hurricanes.

Training camp begins in the next few days, and there is plenty to watch as the organization prepares for the start of the 2026-27 season on Sept. 29.

While most of the Panthers lineup is in order, several players will compete for limited spots, looking to make their mark during practices and the four pre-season games.

Here are three intriguing storylines to follow during training camp.

Who Earns The 13th Forward Role

No role has more competition than the Panthers' 13th forward spot. With Jonah Gadjovich healthy and Garnet Hathaway in the mix as the fourth-line wingers, there really aren't any spots available. Lars Eller was brought in to be the fourth-line winger, and with Brad Marchand expected to miss time to start the season, Sandis Vilmanis could be given the runway to skate with Eetu Luostarinen and Anton Lundell.

That leaves only the 13th-place spot with a large group of players. Cole Schwindt, Cole Reinhardt, Sam Lafferty, John Beecher, and even Angus Crookshank are all worthy of serving as the 13th forward, but only one spot exists.

This will create a competitive training camp and pre-season.

Three Players The Florida Panthers Risk Losing Through NHL WaiversThe waiver wire is a crucial part of the NHL pre-season schedule as teams around the league make roster cuts. Today, we look at three Florida Panthers players the organization risks losing.

What Is The Extra Defenseman Hierarchy?

Like the forward group, the Panthers' defense corps is settled, barring any injuries. The top pair will be Gustav Forsling and Aaron Ekblad, followed by Niko Mikkola and Seth Jones, with Dmitry Kulikov and Radko Gudas rounding it out. Uvis Balinskis, who was a mainstay due to injuries last year, will be the seventh defenseman to start the year.

After that, the hierarchy is murky. Donovan Sebrango, Tobias Bjornfot, and Alex Petrovic looked solid in the NHL action they received, but are all risks to be claimed off waivers. Marek Alscher, Mikulas Hovorka, and Ludvig Jansson all got NHL experience last year and will be key factors in the AHL. So, if the injury bug strikes the Panthers blueline again, who is first in line to be called up?

Pre-season and training camp might not decide that, but they can determine who gets the first call-up.

Emil Pieniniemi is another interesting name to watch. He is a 2005-born, 6-foot-3 Finnish defenseman drafted in the third round of the 2023 NHL draft, whom the Panthers acquired in the off-season from the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Remaining NHL Free Agent Goaltenders The Florida Panthers Can Target To Be The Third StringerAs it stands, the Florida Panthers have two goaltenders on their NHL roster and no real candidates from their AHL team to step up as a third-string goaltender. Who can the Panthers target on the UFA market?

Who Will Be The Third-String Goalie?

At this point, it seems that the Panthers' third-string goalie will be an internal player.

If so, the three options are Cooper Black, Kirill Gerasimyuk, and Tyler Muszelik.

Black is likely the best equipped and closest to NHL-ready of the three. Standing a monstrous 6-foot-8, Black posted strong numbers in 42 AHL games last year. While he still does require some development, he may need to be fast-tracked if injuries occur to Jacob Markstrom or Akira Schmid.

Gerasimyuk also posted decent results in the AHL in 2025-26, but at just 23 years old and with limited North American experience, he still needs patience.

Muszelik is the least likely option right now, but things can always change. The 22-year-old has no professional experience so far, as he was recently signed after playing four seasons in the NCAA.

Asking any of these goaltenders to step into NHL action next year is a difficult question, but with the cap restraints, they may be forced to do so. Some pre-season action will go a long way toward building familiarity against NHL-level opponents.

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Angus Crookshank

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