Brady Tkachuk gets all he can handle in wild preseason fight with Hurricanes prospect

Brady's first game in a Florida sweater could not have gone much better on the scoreboard.

He picked up a Gordie Howe hat trick, two goals, an assist and a fighting major, in a lopsided preseason win over Carolina on Sunday night at Amerant Bank Arena.

The fight itself turned into the moment everyone is still talking about.

It started with a hit on captain Aleksander Barkov just seconds earlier.

Brady wasn't going to let that slide, and he squared off against Legault, a 22 year old defenseman still fighting for a full time NHL role.

What Brady may not have expected was how much the young Hurricanes blueliner had to give back.

Legault, listed at 6'4 and 220 pounds, held his own, and the scrap turned into a legitimate slugfest rather than a one sided statement.

This preseason opener also marked the first time Brady and Matthew Tkachuk shared an NHL roster after Florida acquired Brady from Ottawa this past offseason.

Barkov still wears the C, but it's becoming clear the Tkachuk brothers are going to be the faces fans line up to see.

Carolina rolled out a lineup stacked with prospects and depth pieces, and while the final result didn't go their way, Legault's willingness to stand up for his teammates was a bright spot worth remembering as the Hurricanes build for the future.

It's the kind of moment that can stick with a young player, win or lose, and it likely earned him some respect in both locker rooms.

Florida has three more preseason games before the regular season opens, but if Sunday was any indication, this Panthers team is going to be must watch hockey from night one.

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