FORT LAUDERDALE – With a new season, comes turnover.
With turnover, comes fresh faces with a drive to reach the peak.
“There’s some turnover every year, and I think that can be a positive as well,” Florida Panthers forward Sam Reinhart said on Friday following the second day of training camp at Baptist Health IcePlex. “You add guys that are excited to come here and be a part of what we’re building.”
Among the new faces excited to join the back-to-back Stanley Cup champions and push for a rare three-peat are forward Luke Kunin and defenseman Jeff Petry.
Both players are searching for their first lift of Lord Stanley.
“It’s obviously a special group,” said Kunin, who signed a one-year deal with the Panthers on Aug. 22. “Happy to be part of a winning culture and do whatever I can to help the team continue to have success.”
A style fit for the Panthers, Kunin owns 142 points (73 goals, 69 assists) and 387 penalty minutes over 434 NHL games.
Last season, Kunin recorded 18 points (11 goals, seven assists) and 55 penalty minutes in 75 games split between the San Jose Sharks and Columbus Blue Jackets.
Coming in with more than just a playing style fit, the 27-year-old St. Louis native already has ties within the locker room.
“He’s one of my best friends,” Kunin said of long-time friend and fellow St. Louis native Matthew Tkachuk. “It’s pretty cool we get to play together.”
An already tight locker room that seems to get closer by the day, it doesn’t take long for a new guy to fit in, especially when so much of the team remained intact this offseason.
“It truly feels like everybody really cares about everybody in the room,” said Petry. “It’s not just words, it’s the actions.”
Big praise coming from a veteran that’s logged 981 NHL games, 48 playoff games and put up 385 points (96 goals, 289 assists) in his long career.
Registering eight points (goal, seven assists) in 44 games for the Detroit Red Wings last season, Petry signed a one-year contract with Florida on July 1.
After watching the Panthers retain key players like Sam Bennett, Aaron Ekbald and Brad Marchand, Petry knew he wanted to be a part of the organization.
“What excited me when the opportunity came was seeing those guys come back,” said the 37-year-old, right-shot blueliner.
Bringing plenty of experience to an already battle-tested team, the fit should be seamless.
“That’s a strength of the management team of the Florida Panthers,” head coach Paul Maurice said of the two players fitting into the system. “They have been spectacular at finding players that can adapt their game to the way we play.”
The Panthers will kick off the preseason with a split-squad, double-header in Nashville against the Predators on Sunday.
For updates on camp and preseason, stay tuned to FloridaPanthers.com.
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