New Florida Panthers finding good opportunities early in training camp

CORAL SPRINGS, Fla. - Colin White could get used to this.
Put in a great position to succeed right out of the gate, the new Florida Panthers forward has been spending the first few on-ice sessions of training camp playing primarily on a line with a pair of talented hard-nosed forwards in Sam Bennett and fellow newcomer Matthew Tkachuk.
"It's been awesome," White, flashing an ear-to-ear grin, said following Friday's practice at the Panthers IceDen. "Those are two unbelievable players. I played with Chuky back in the day when we were both kids, and Benny's an unreal player as well. They make it easy out there."

While it's far too early for any lines to be considered concrete, it's impossible not to peer a bit into the future and ponder the possibilities. After all, isn't that part of the fun of training camp? With so many new faces on the ice, the combinations feel almost limitless at this time of year.
In many ways, it's these possibilities that have made the Panthers an attractive team for free agents in recent summers. Whether it's Gustav Forsling's ascension from waiver claim to stud defenseman or Carter Verhaeghe's quick transition from depth piece to top-line forward, South Florida has become a place where players believe they can tap into their untapped potential.
"We've got a bunch of those guys," Panthers coach Paul Maurice said. "As a matter of fact, it's kind of the hallmark of the Florida Panthers. They've brought in an awful lot of players that were maybe at the crossroads of their careers. They'd come into the NHL, maybe their definition of what kind of player they were changed, and they'd get here and, whether it's Sam Bennett, Anthony Duclair or Sam Reinhart, these guys kind of explode. In some ways, we find, it's a return to their original form. Kind of what we saw or what the league saw when they came in."
On paper, a few players at training camp fit that mold.
First, there's White. Bought out by the Ottawa Senators this past summer after being limited to just 24 games in 2021-22 due to injuries, the 25-year-old former first-round pick is looking for a fresh start after producing 98 points (36 goals 62 assists) over his first 224 career NHL games.
"I think it's just fun down here," said White, who inked a one-year deal with the Panthers. "The guys want to win and know what it takes to win. I think when you have a group that knows how to do that, it makes it a lot easier to go out there and just play hockey and be confident."
If he ends up sticking on a line with Bennett and Tkachuk, White is confident that the trio will be able to do a lot of damage -- both in terms of physicality and points -- throughout the season.
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