Sam Bennett won't open beside both Tkachuk brothers, with Paul Maurice choosing patience over instant chaos in Florida's top six.
The Florida Panthers have the pieces to build one of hockey's most irritating forward lines. Maurice just isn't ready to unleash it.
Putting Bennett between Matthew Tkachuk and Brady Tkachuk would give Florida three forwards who thrive around the crease, after whistles and in the hardest areas of the ice.
Maurice knows exactly how much attention that trio would attract. Asked about loading them onto one line, the Panthers coach made his hesitation clear.
“I don't want to give everybody what they want,” Maurice said while discussing the possibility of putting Bennett between the brothers.
Then came the punchline: “God, they'll be in jail before the puck drops.”
Paul Maurice has another plan for Brady Tkachuk
Maurice's decision doesn't close the door on Bennett centering the Tkachuks later. It simply signals that Florida won't force the combination immediately just because the personalities fit.
The more interesting opening option may involve Aleksander Barkov. Maurice discussed the possibility of placing Brady Tkachuk beside Florida's top center and using his size to change how that line controls possession.
Barkov has long carried much of the responsibility for protecting the puck, extending shifts and creating space below the circles. Adding Brady could spread some of that heavy work across another big body.
That would also let Florida separate Bennett and Matthew Tkachuk, keeping multiple lines capable of creating pressure around the net instead of concentrating everything on one unit.
For opponents, that's the bigger problem. Maurice can move Brady between Barkov and Bennett depending on matchups, game state and which combination gives Florida the best territorial advantage.
And the Bennett-Tkachuk-Tkachuk line remains sitting there if Maurice ever wants it. He isn't ruling it out. He's simply holding it back.
Florida already knows what Bennett and Matthew Tkachuk bring together. Adding Brady gives Maurice another abrasive top-six piece, and his first decision is restraint rather than loading all three onto one line.
Should Paul Maurice eventually put Sam Bennett between Matthew and Brady Tkachuk?
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