Camp's over, and Reinhardt should get the last forward spot

Cole Reinhardt should be on the plane to Raleigh. Camp is done, the cats close the preseason tonight against Tampa, and the only real fight left on this roster is for the last forward spot. I'd give it to the guy whose game already looks like a regular shift.

Paul Maurice isn't announcing anything yet, and he made that pretty clear. "There is cake in the coaches room right now. Monday will be a good day," he said, via Florida Hockey Now. Translation: the difficult decisions land Monday, and somebody's week gets considerably worse.

Lineup watch

George Richards at FHN projects 11 forwards, six defensemen and two goalies for opening night. Up front, that's Barkov, Brady Tkachuk, Reinhart, Matthew Tkachuk, Bennett, Verhaeghe, Lundell, Luostarinen, Vilmanis, Eller and Hathaway.

The back end is Ekblad, Forsling, Jones, Mikkola, Kulikov and Gudas, with Markstrom and Schmid in goal.

That's 19 bodies, and a team doesn't dress 11 forwards. So it's Boko Imama, Reinhardt and Schwindt chasing the spots that are left, with Alexander Petrovic pushing to be the eighth defenseman.

FHN also has Florida $896,000 over the cap with 21 players, with Brad Marchand and Jonah Gadjovich headed for long-term injured reserve. How Zito squares that is Marcus's department, and he'll have the complete calculation. My department is who earns the jersey.

The Tampa tape

Thursday's 5-3 win in Tampa was the final audition for the depth players, and all three bubble guys showed up. Imama scored late in the first and threw six hits in 13:13. Reinhardt had a goal and an assist in 13:50. Petrovic ate 24:03 and set up a goal.

Here's my read from the ice level, the way a guy who plays would see it. Imama's six hits are ferda, and I love a guy who makes the other bench look over its shoulder.

But this lineup already has Bennett, Gudas, Hathaway and a Tkachuk who fights for fun. The 12th forward can't be a guy who plays six minutes and waits for a tilt. He has to hold the wall, get pucks out and chip in.

That's the game Reinhardt put on tape in Tampa, and it's the one a coach can trust on a Tuesday in November when nothing is going right.

The Brady question

Brady Tkachuk hasn't skated since he left the Carolina game on Sept. 22 after 9:40. Maurice said he'd skate Saturday or, if not, Monday, and he still expects him Tuesday, per Julian Gaudio of The Hockey News.

Before that, Brady had three goals and five points in two preseason games, plus a Gordie Howe hat trick. I'm not panicking, because you don't sit a guy like that in September to prove a point.

Sandis Vilmanis is the other story. He's got the first look on the third line with Lundell and Luostarinen while Marchand is out. "I think he's a top-nine player all day long," Maurice said. I agree, and the way he's been used tells you Maurice isn't just saying it to be nice.

I've watched this franchise carry forwards who were just filling a sweater. This isn't that. The 12th spot on a team built to win in June still matters in October.

The opener is Tuesday at Carolina, 5 p.m. ET on ESPN, against the champs. Then it's a cross-country trip to San Jose, which is a lovely way to start the season.

Pabs' read: Reinhardt makes it, Imama goes to the press box as the 13th, and Brady's in the lineup Tuesday. Dale.