The Florida Panthers will be without Brad Marchand for approximately six weeks after the veteran forward suffered a lower-body injury in Tuesday’s road win against the Los Angeles Kings.
Coach Paul Maurice said Marchand’s recovery is expected to include about three weeks before he resumes skating, followed by another three weeks of rehabilitation. The 38-year-old was hurt only two games into his season after missing Florida’s opening pair of games while recovering from offseason surgery for an undisclosed issue.
Marchand hurt in Los Angeles
- Marchand was injured late in the second period of Florida’s 2-1 victory over the Kings at Crypto.com Arena on Tuesday.
- With 53 seconds left in the period, Marchand drove toward the net and was struck by Kings defenseman Brandt Clarke’s stick.
- The contact sent Marchand awkwardly into the right goal post. Clarke received a double-minor penalty.
- Marchand remained on the ice for several minutes, clutching his left knee while being checked by a trainer.
- Brady Tkachuk and Niko Mikkola helped Marchand to the dressing room.
Maurice said the initial concern was that the injury could have carried a far worse outcome. “When they go down and you see that, you’re worried,” he said after Friday’s practice at the IcePlex in Fort Lauderdale. “We went through that last year.”
Marchand had made an immediate impact once he entered the lineup. In his season debut on Oct. 4, he scored with 1:50 remaining in regulation to force overtime against the Anaheim Ducks, helping Florida earn a point in a 3-2 overtime loss.
“Brutal,” Matthew Tkachuk said. “Haven’t seen him yet, but obviously want to check in on him. It just stinks. Unfortunate.”
Another major absence up front
Marchand’s setback arrived the same day Florida confirmed that captain Aleksander Barkov will miss six to eight weeks with a lower-body injury.
- Barkov was injured Oct. 1 during the second period of a 4-3 overtime loss to the San Jose Sharks.
- He went down while fighting for a puck in the right corner during a Panthers power play at 8:07 of the period.
- After getting up, Barkov immediately called for the Zamboni doors to be opened, dropped his gloves and headed directly to the locker room.
The captain had only recently returned after missing the entire 2025-26 season. Barkov injured his right knee on the first day of training camp last year and underwent surgery the following day to repair his MCL and ACL.
Maurice said Florida’s depth will be tested, but he pointed to the club’s ability to handle adversity after last season’s injury problems.
“We have a little experience with Sasha going down, so it wasn’t quite as shocking the second time it happened,” Maurice said. “We know we have good depth, and there’s a threshold for any team, a number of injuries you just can’t survive, and we passed that early last year. Real good resolve here. The tank is deep right now. We had a big summer off, so we’re strong.”
The Panthers are 2-0-2, but their early-season roster picture has changed quickly. With Barkov and Marchand sidelined, Florida will need its remaining forwards to absorb heavier minutes until two of its most important veterans can return.
