Florida Panthers coach Paul Maurice will be wired for the beginning of the 2026-27 NHL campaign, perhaps more so than for some past seasons.
The matchup involves the Stanley Cup winners of the past three seasons, with the Panthers winning in 2024 and 2025 and the Hurricanes capturing the franchise’s second Cup slightly more than three months ago.
“We’ve been off for a while,” Maurice said, referring to Florida not qualifying for the postseason in 2025-26. “It’s such a short camp that communication between players is critical,” Maurice said. “I think our guys got the rust off, and they’ll feel good about where their game is at going into opening night,” he said.
“That was a long time off. I can’t wait for the regular season to start. The situation is the opposite for the Carolina Hurricanes, who will raise their Stanley Cup banner before facing the Panthers in the NHL’s season opener Tuesday in Raleigh, N.C.
He’s just coming into it now,” Maurice said of Brady Tkachuk. “He’s just so powerful … he’s not at his prime yet. “He plays a slightly different game than anybody that we have. It’s just a different mix of skill set.”
He led the team with 32 goals last season. The Hurricanes begin without forward Seth Jarvis, who had shoulder surgery in late June.
