Kris Versteeg had a three-point night for the Panthers in their 5-3 triumph over the Lightning on Saturday in their preseason finale. The winger scored twice (once on an empty-netter) and had an assist in his second game since returning from March knee surgery. Florida was the league's lowest-scoring team last season, but Versteeg's health will be important as he possesses 20-plus goals ability. Scott Gomez and Brad Boyes had the other markers, while Brian Campbell and Dmitry Kulikov had two helpers. Tim Thomas made 19 saves for Florida. Goal scorers for the Lightning included Steven Stamkos, Martin St. Louis and Brett Connolly. Anders Lindback was roughed up for four goals on 21 shots.

Coach Kevin Dineen believes that Kris Versteeg will be just as good as he was back before he went through injury issues. "It means a lot to have him back with the enthusiasm and his talent and all the positives that he has brought to training camp," Dineen said. Versteeg was a key loss for the Panthers last season. He had 23 goals and 54 points in 71 games when the club captured the Southeast Division title in 2011-12.

Kris Versteeg (knee) has been cleared to play. He will make his preseason debut on Thursday. It's been a long road back for Versteeg, who played in just 10 games last season.

The Florida Panthers are expecting to have reinforcements for Thursday's preseason game against Tampa Bay. Kris Versteeg (knee), Jonathan Huberdeau (hip) and Aleksander Barkov (shoulder) are all scheduled to play that night, according to coach Kevin Dineen. All of them have been dealing with injuries during training camp.

Kris Versteeg (knee) is penciled in to play in one of the Panthers' final two preseason contests. Versteeg is trying to bounce back after playing in just 10 games last season, due in part to the knee injury that he's still recovering from. He could around 20 goals and 50 points if he can stay healthy in 2013-14.

Coach Kevin Dineen is optimistic that Kris Versteeg (knee) will be ready to play when the regular season begins. He emphasized that he was impressed with how well Versteeg recovered from ACL surgery during the team's first day of training camp. He played in just 10 games last season, but could be ready to go when Florida visits Dallas on Oct. 3.

Florida Panthers winger Kris Versteeg says that his surgically repaired knee is feeling pretty good. Versteeg hopes to be good to go for Florida's season opener. The 2013 campaign was a rough one for the underrated scoring forward, who comes in as a solid depth winger in most fantasy formats.

Kris Versteeg (knee) may be limited when the Florida Panthers open training camp. It's possible that he could miss the start of the regular season too, but we'll cross that bridge when the time comes. Versteeg played in just 10 games last season because of injuries and he missed the last 21 matches of the year due to a knee ailment.

The latest Kris Versteeg update is mostly positive, but it's disappointing that he might not be ready for the beginning of the 2013-14 season. The word is that he's off crutches related to his knee injury and that he's shooting for an August 5 date to start skating again. Apparently about two months won't be enough for him to be ready to play, though, at least according to Sunday's estimates.

Kris Versteeg will undergo surgery on his knee and he'll miss the rest of the season. The Panthers' injury woes continue as they lose another key contributor. Versteeg has been limited to just 10 games this campaign due to injuries, but he plays as a top-six forward when he's healthy. He had two goals and two assists.