SUNRISE, Fla. -- It's been just over a year since the Penguins traded Patric Hornqvist to the Panthers.
For Hornqvist, his time in Pittsburgh feels even further in the rearview mirror than that.
"Last year with the COVID situation, no fans, it feels like a long time ago that I was in Pittsburgh," he said Thursday after the Panthers' morning skate.
With teams only playing teams within their division last season, the Penguins and Hornqvist haven't had a chance to play each other since the trade. When the puck drops Thursday night at FLA Live Arena, it'll be the first opportunity Hornqvist has had to line up against his former team.