Injuries continue to mount for Florida Panthers – Hockey Writer – Florida Panthers
The Florida Panthers hope to become the first team since the New York Islanders in the early 1980s to win three consecutive Stanley Cups. They’ve started the season with a 3-3-0 record, with their most recent loss coming Thursday night to the New Jersey Devils, 3-1. The loss looks bad, but it’s still early in the season.
But one thing that really frustrates the team is their infirmary. The injuries had accumulated to an almost insurmountable level.
Matthew Tkachuk
The news was especially famous when it was announced when the team won the cup. Matthew Tkachuk tore his adductor muscle from the bone and used a knife to repair it. Last season, he scored 57 points (22 goals, 35 assists) in 52 games.
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He is expected to return to competition in December, giving him a chance to compete in the upcoming Winter Olympics and Winter Classic.
Alexander Barkov
Aleskander Barkov suffered perhaps the biggest blow to the team this season when he suffered a torn ACL and MCL in practice weeks before opening night on Oct. 7.
He will miss the entire 2025-26 regular season after undergoing surgery for the above-mentioned injury. Last season, he ranked second on the team with 71 points (20 goals, 51 assists). The team describes Barkov as irreplaceable.
“…there is no substitute for [Barkov]we know this. But there was a sense of community in that room and we all had to work together. “
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There’s a slim chance he’ll return if the Panthers do well in the playoffs, but it’s still unlikely.
Thomas Nosek
Around the same time Tkachuk’s surgery was announced, the team announced that center Tomas Nosek would miss an extended period of time due to surgical repair of his knee.
Last season, he had one goal and eight assists in 59 games. In the playoffs, he sent 3 assists and scored +4.
Dmitry Kulikov
The latest addition to the injured list, Dmitry Kulikov, suffered an upper-body injury on October 9 against the Philadelphia Flyers. Earlier this week, news broke that he had undergone surgery and was expected to be sidelined for five months.
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As a first-round pick of the Panthers in 2009, he played only two games before being sidelined by injury. He had no points and a -1 rating. Last season, he scored four goals and dished out nine assists for a +12 rating. In the most recent cup game, he scored twice and dished out three assists while earning a +6 rating.
This is the biggest adversity the team has faced in a while
The Panthers are no strangers to adversity. This ranges from entering the playoffs as an eighth seed to being a road team with multiple playoff starts. But this is a new kind of adversity. Losing top stars and quality depth players won’t be easy to overcome.
But they started the season at .500. If they can hide their minutes and stay consistent, they should be able to get their players back in time to make a big push for the playoffs.
