Four things to watch as Florida Panthers begin preseason games

The Florida Panthers have been on the ice for four days, getting acclimated with each other and getting their endurance tested by coach Paul Maurice to start training camp.

Maurice purposely makes the start of camp a grind, pushing players to physical limits early to see who is willing to go above and beyond before the season even begins.

“He tells us he wants it to be hard, and he wants us to be prepared to work hard,” center Sam Bennett said. “In the long run, it’s going to pay off for us. ... We’re willing to dig in and do a hard camp again.”

That hard camp is about to transition into its second phase, with the Panthers beginning their slate of preseason games Monday with a doubleheader against the Nashville Predators on Monday at Amerant Bank Arena. Game 1 starts at 2 p.m., with the second game to follow at 6 p.m.

The Panthers will play eight preseason games over 13 days, including a trip to Nova Scotia to face the Ottawa Senators on Oct. 1 as part of the NHL’s Kraft Hockeyville series.

Here are four story lines to watch over the next two weeks.

How defenseman group shapes out

The Panthers’ blue line is going to have an almost entirely new look to start the season. Both Aaron Ekblad and Brandon Montour are sidelined until at least December and the team lost Radko Gudas and Marc Staal to free agency.

That leaves just two regular defensemen from last year for Opening Night in Gustav Forsling and Josh Mahura. Forsling has been regularly paired with Oliver Ekman-Larsson during training camp, while Mahura has been with Dmitry Kulikov.

Niko Mikkola and Mike Riley, both acquired this offseason along with Ekman-Larsson and Kulikov, should make the roster, too.

The leaves likely one spot for three players: Matt Kiersted, Casey Fitzgerald and Lucas Carlsson.

How new forwards fit in

In addition to the new crop of defensemen, the Panthers have a few new forwards in the mix in Evan Rodrigues, Steven Lorentz, Kevin Stenlund and Brett Ritchie.

The Panthers have to replace three forwards from last year in Anthony Duclair, Eric Staal and Colin White. Rodrigues fits the billing of a top-six forward while Lorentz and Stenlund can fill in gaps in the bottom-six.

Ritchie, who is on a professional tryout, and Grigori Denisenko are also vying for a possible roster spot on Opening Night.

Can Mackie Samoskevich make an impact?

At this point, the question really isn’t if 20-year-old Mackie Samoskevich is going to play for the Panthers this season. It’s likely when Samoskevich is going to get the call.

Samoskevich, the Panthers’ top prospect and the 24th overall pick in the 2021 NHL Entry Level Draft, is participating in his first full training camp with Florida. He spent the past two seasons playing college hockey at the University of Michigan, tallying 39 goals and 59 assists before joining the Panthers’ American Hockey League affiliate in April and practicing with the Panthers during the final stages of their playoff run.

It’s likely he doesn’t break camp with the team, but keep an eye on him down the road.

Who will be the backup goaltender?

Sergei Bobrovsky is back for his fourth season with the Panthers and is coming off a strong showing in the playoffs. He will be the starter in net once again to begin the season.

As for Florida’s No. 2 goalie? That’s still up in the air.

Spencer Knight has returned to the team after spending the end of the 2022-23 season in the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program due to a growing issue with obsessive compulsive disorder, as revealed earlier this month in an interview with The Hockey News.

But that doesn’t mean Knight will automatically assume the No. 2 job. The Panthers also signed Anthony Stolarz in the offseason, so there will be competition for that spot this preseason.