Boughner: Trocheck’s injury not serious
Panthers All-Star center Vincent Trocheck suffered an upper-body injury during Tuesday’s preseason game in Nashville, but it isn’t expected to be serious, Florida coach Bob Boughner said in an interview with WQAM on Wednesday morning.
“I don’t think it’s anything serious,” Boughner said. “He’s going to get reevauated today, but I expect him back at practice for the next couple days.”
Trocheck exited early during the second game of Florida’s doubleheader on Tuesday after he played just 6:49. He scored the Panthers’ first goal in a 3-2 overtime loss.
Trocheck led the club in scoring last year with 54 points (23 goals and 31 assists) and helped keep Florida’s scoring going as Jonathan Huberdeau and Aleksander Barkov missed significant time due to injuries. Trocheck played all 82 games for the Panthers.
Trocheck enters the 2017-18 season in a different position than last year, when he returned with to a familiar line flanked by Reilly Smith and Jussi Jokinen. Both are gone this year. Smith was traded to Vegas for a 2018 fourth-round pick, and Jokinen’s contract was bought out. Jokinen has since joined the Edmonton Oilers.
The Panthers have not unveiled potential line combinations yet during preseason camp — the practices have been split into two sessions — but Trocheck figures to have Radim Vrbata join him on the second line.
Vrbata was one of Florida’s marquee additions in the offseason after he scored 20 goals for the Coyotes last season. The Panthers signed the 36-year-old to a one-year deal, hoping he can fill some of the scoring lost from the departures of Smith, Jokinen, Jonathan Marchessault and Jaromir Jagr.
Henrik Haapala (15 goals and 45 assists in Finland last year) is a candidate for the third spot on that line. He had a power-play goal in the first game Tuesday, a 5-3 Florida win over Nashville.
“There’s a spot up there on Trocheck’s line as well, and that’s going to be a battle and there’s a lot of guys vying for that as well,” Boughner said. “It’s going to sort itself out in the next four or five games here. We’re going to be able to make decisions. Whoever deserves it is going to be the guy.”