FORT LAUDERDALE — The Florida Panthers placed three players on NHL Network’s annual ranking of the top 20 wingers in the league, tying the rival Tampa Bay Lightning for the most of any team as both Florida franchises load up for the 2026-27 season.
Matthew Tkachuk led the Panthers at No. 8, the only Florida player to crack the top 10, Florida Hockey Now reported. Sam Reinhart came in at No. 14, while newly acquired Brady Tkachuk — Matthew’s brother — landed at No. 18. The addition of Brady Tkachuk gives the Panthers two Tkachuks on the wing, a development that could reshape the team’s forward lines heading into training camp in Fort Lauderdale in early-to-mid September.
Tampa Bay’s Nikita Kucherov topped the entire list at No. 1, followed by Boston’s David Pastrnak at No. 2 and Minnesota’s Karill Kaprisov at No. 3. Only two other teams besides the Panthers and Lightning placed multiple players on the 20-name list: the Dallas Stars and the Minnesota Wild.
The rankings underscore the depth of talent concentrated in the Atlantic Division, where 10 of the 20 ranked wingers play. That divisional arms race sets the stage for a bruising regular season in which the Panthers and Lightning will meet repeatedly with elite wing talent on both sides.
NHL free agency opened July 1, and the Panthers have already begun mapping out their fall schedule. The team’s rookie camp and tournament are set for late August or early September, with the preseason opener against the Carolina Hurricanes on Sept. 20. Florida opens the 2026-27 regular season at Carolina on Sept. 29 at 5 p.m. on ESPN, then hosts the Minnesota Wild for the home opener on Oct. 10 at 6 p.m.