Brady Tkachuk sat the third period, and the CBA says he's done anyway
Maurice called it precautionary and not an injury; under the new two-game limit for veterans, the next time Brady plays is opening night.
Brady Tkachuk scored, set up Barkov, and then didn't come out for the third period in Raleigh on Tuesday. Paul Maurice says it's nothing. And thanks to the new CBA, nothing is all he'll be doing until opening night.
What happened
Tkachuk one-timed a Sam Reinhart feed from the left circle at 4:31 of the first to open the scoring. He's now scored in both of his preseason games as a Panther. Less than three minutes later he fed Aleksander Barkov on a two-on-one, and the captain buried it.
Then the evening got considerably shorter. Tkachuk finished with 9:40 of ice time over 12 shifts, per the NHL boxscore, and stayed in the room for the third.
Maurice told Florida Hockey Now's George Richards the winger was held out as a precaution. "It's not an injury, just tightened up on him," Maurice said. He added that Tkachuk could practice in Fort Lauderdale on Wednesday afternoon, then hedged with a "we'll see."
Why it matters
In a normal September, you'd shrug and pencil him in for the next exhibition. This isn't a normal September.
Section 15.4(a) of the new CBA caps any player with 100 or more career NHL games at two exhibition games, per FlamesNation's Ryan Pike. Tkachuk has played his two. So has the rest of the veteran core. Barkov, Matthew Tkachuk and Reinhart are done until the real thing.
That's why Maurice wasn't going to let a tight muscle turn into anything worse in a game the Hurricanes dressed an AHL lineup for. There's no next tune-up to earn back.
The next time Brady pulls on a Panthers sweater that counts, it's Sept. 29 in Raleigh, with Carolina raising its banner and ESPN on the call at 5 p.m. ET.
Florida still has two preseason games left, Thursday at Tampa Bay and Saturday at home against the Lightning. Those will be kids and bubble guys, which is the CBA's whole point.
The league cut the exhibition schedule to four games per team to make room for an 84-game season, and it doesn't want its stars grinding through meaningless nights.
Ferda take
Precautionary is the right call, and the boring one, which is usually the same thing in September. Tkachuk had already done the job. Two games, two goals, a fight, and a helper on the captain's goal. There was nothing left to prove against a Canes farm team.
The only thing worth watching is Wednesday's practice. If he's out there, this file closes. If he's not, the questions get louder, and a week is a short runway to opening night.
What's next
Panthers practice Wednesday afternoon in Fort Lauderdale. Preseason game three is Thursday in Tampa at 7 p.m. ET. The opener is Tuesday, Sept. 29 at Carolina.
