NOTEBOOK: Top Line Finding Chemistry; New Injury Updates

In today's Baptist Health Practice Notebook, Aleksander Barkov sees a lot of potential in Florida's new top line, Joel Quenneville provides some updates on injured players and more.
SUNRISE, Fla. - Aleksander Barkov cracked a smile when asked about his linemates.
Taking the ice together for the first time in a competitive game, the newly-minted trio of Barkov, Carter Verhaeghe and Sam Reinhart combined for one goal and four assists to lift the Panthers to a 3-1 victory over the Predators in the nightcap of Sunday's doubleheader at FLA Live Arena.

Looks good on paper, right?
But if you ask Barkov, he'll tell you the line is only just scratching the surface.
"You can see it's there," the Panthers captain said after Tuesday's practice in Sunrise. "You can see that when you get that feeling of the puck, the feeling of the area around you, you can make those plays. I'm frustrated because I'd get the puck against the Predators], see Reino or Hags, and I I'd want to make the play, but that game I just couldn't do it. I didn't feel the puck that well. I can see that once we practice more and more and play more, we'll get that chemistry going."
With each on-ice session, Joel Quenneville also sees the line getting more polished.
"I saw progress out there today as far as knowing when to hit a hole or where to throw it to or those saucer passes," Florida's bench boss said. "It's high-end stuff. With their imagination, it's only going to get more creative as we go along. They've got pace and they've got the puck."
Pace and puck-possession are two of the line's biggest strengths.
Coming together last season, Barkov and Verhaeghe helped the Panthers control 60.64% of shot attempts when they were deployed together at 5-on-5, according to NaturalStatTrick.com. Acquired from the Sabres this offseason, Reinhart, despite being on a team in rebuild-mode, posted a 50 CF% or better in three of the last four seasons before heading to South Florida.
"It's a new situation for me," Reinhart said. "It's exciting."
Making a good first impression, Reinhart's approach has already impressed Barkov.
"Reino is a great guy," Barkov said. "He's already adjusted to our team. Everything I heard about him was that he was the nicest guy ever and the hardest working guy ever. I can see that he's already at the gym and on the ice working. That's what drives each other forward."
Still adjusting to his new surroundings, Reinhart saw firsthand just how much fun he could be having this season during Sunday's win when he watched Barkov send a tape-to-tape pass through not one, but two Nashville players to set up Verhaeghe for a goal on the power play.
"I'm used to that," Verhaeghe said after the game.
Sharing the podium with Reinhart, he then turned to his new linemate.
"He's got to have to get used to that," he grinned.
With 69 combined goals between them last season, and with a few more weeks until they kick off the 2021-22 campaign against the Penguins on Oct. 14 in Sunrise, Barkov, Verhaeghe and Reinhart are confident that their already lethal line can be even better with a bit more practice.
"We've been giving it everything we have to get in the best shape possible before the season starts," said Barkov,
[who NHL Network recently ranked as the 15th best player in the league
. "I don't really think about pressure on us. I think about opportunity and trying to create something special."

BACK TO JUNIORS

The Cats trimmed their roster down to 44 players prior to this morning's practice.
Returned to their respective junior clubs, up-and-coming prospects Evan Nause, Braden Haché and Justin Sourdif all showcased a lot of promise during their first-ever camp with the Panthers.
A second-round pick (56th overall) in the 2021 NHL Draft, Nause is heading back to Quebec for his second season with the Remparts in the OHL. Although he was limited during camp due to an injury, he still had a chance to show off his skating abilities during some of his rehab work.
"I watched him skate out here trying to get back off his injury," Quenneville said of the 18-year-old defenseman. "He can move very nicely. He looks like a hockey player."
Also a member of the 2021 class, Haché, who was drafted in the seventh round (210th overall), participated in last week's Prospect Showcase Tournament and also competed in Game 2 of Sunday's doubleheader, registering one shot, two blocks and four hits over 16:38 of ice time.
Still only 18 years old, the bulky defenseman will spend 2021-22 with Kingston in the OHL.
"I thought he played very well," Quenneville said of the 6-foot-4, 200-pound blueliner. "I thought he moved well for a bigger guy in that type of a role. He's confident. He's positionally aware. We're expecting him to get better and improve with time, but he's got some raw ingredients."
Last but not least, Sourdif is heading home with both experience and a contract.
Inking a three-year, entry-level contract with the Panthers earlier this week, Sourdif, a third-round pick (87th overall) in 2020, dished out two assists in two games during the Prospect Showcase Tournament and posted a +1 rating in 14:53 of ice time in Game 1 on Sunday.
Expected to be a premier player once again for Vancouver in the WHL, the 19-year-old forward led the Giants in scoring with 34 point (11 goals, 23 assists) in 22 games last season.
"I liked his game," Quenneville said of Sourdif, who hopes to play for Canada at the 2022 World Juniors. "He had some pace, had the puck a lot. He wanted it. I thought he was handy in the rookie games as well. In the big game, he looked like he wanted to be out there with the puck."

INJURY UPDATES

Florida's first-round pick in 2020, Anton Lundell, who has yet to join the main group in camp, has been "skating lightly" over the past few days and is close to returning from a minor injury.
"He's getting closer and closer to joining us for practice," Quenneville said. "He's progressing."
Moving from a rookie to a future Hall of Famer, Joe Thornton, who is entering his first season with the Panthers, is still dealing with a bit of a nagging injury, but it isn't considered serious.
"He came back there with a little bit of a pull there and it's still annoying him," Quenneville said of Thornton, who missed the doubleheader. "Let's make sure he's more than ready to return."
Suffering a similar ailment as Thornton, Maxim Mamin exited this morning's practice early.
"Same kind of idea with him," Quenneville said of Mamin, who is returning to the Panthers after a few strong seasons overseas in the KHL. "Might be a little longer for him than the other guys."

WEDNESDAY'S LINES

Forwards
Carter Verhaeghe - Aleksander Barkov - Sam Reinhart
Jonathan Huberdeau - Sam Bennett - Owen Tippett
Frank Vatrano - Eetu Luostarinen - Patric Hornqvist
Mason Marchment - Noel Acciari - Anthony Duclair
Ryan Lomberg - Juho Lammikko - Maxim Mamin
Defensemen
MacKenzie Weegar - Aaron Ekblad
Gustav Forsling - Brandon Montour
Markus Nutivaara - Radko Gudas
Matt Kiersted - Kevin Connauton
Goaltenders
Sergei Bobrovsky
Spencer Knight
Christopher Gibson