It’s been a rough season for the two-time defending Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers. From the get-go, they were behind the eight ball, losing captain Aleksander Barkov to a season-ending injury during training. The Panthers knew they would be without Matthew Tkachuk from the start of the season after offseason surgery. So their backs were against the wall from the beginning.
Matthew Tkachuk Has a Target Return Date
Throughout the season, player after player has been injured. Tomas Nosek missed most of the season due to offseason surgery. Dmitry Kulikov has missed four to five months after suffering a shoulder injury in Game 2 of the 2025-26 season. He was just activated on March 1. Then Seth Jones broke his collarbone on January 2 at the Winter Classic, missing 26 games before returning Tuesday night in Vancouver.
In total, the men’s regular season games lost due to injury for the Florida Panthers is at 395 games and counting. Now, Brad Marchand has been placed on LTIR to start Jones. It was believed that his injury in January would have ended the season, but he pushed through to play in the Olympics and helped the Panthers get back to the playoffs.
Once the Florida Panthers were out of the playoff mix, the Panthers suspended him for the season. The expectation is that he must go under the knife. Throughout the season, players like Jonah Gadjovich, Cole Schwindt, Sam Reinhart, Uvis Balinskis, and Sam Bennett also missed time due to injuries. Playing in mid-June for three straight seasons takes its toll on the body.
As has been said throughout the season, the best thing for the Florida Panthers was to miss the playoffs and get a rest for next season instead of trying to push for a three-peat. Although it is history, it is very difficult to do because everything has to go the team’s way for the rest of the season. In addition, when it was revealed that the first-round pick they sent to the Chicago Blackhawks in the Seth Jones trade was top-10 protected, it opened the door for another asset to be acquired in the offseason.
Matthew Tkachuk: “There was uncertainty about playing in the Playoffs”
But just because the Florida Panthers are having a bad season doesn’t mean you should count them out, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman told Sirius XM NHL Network Radio Wednesday morning.
Writing for NHLRumors.com
Gord Stellick: “So, looking at a few things that are happening as we go down to push for the playoffs. It’s amazing. The Florida Panthers, I believe, have a top 10 pick to keep (protected), so they can go back to the Chicago Blackhawks and get that pick.
Do you think this is for the Florida Panthers? Because I think a lot of teams would believe that, think that this is their one chance to walk away with the trophy, or do you think there was a slip, that they will go back to their pocket with the big picture?”
Elliotte Friedman: “Well, I would generally say I believe in them. Look, they’ve been to the finals. Three Cups in a row. That comes with some wear and tear. I think I’ll never doubt the ability of those guys and the will of those people. I just think it’s all stacked up against them. I mean, one thing I really wonder about, look, Bobbi, Famerrovsky.
NHL Rumors: Florida Panthers Working on Extensions for Sergei Bobrovsky and AJ Greer
He just had a rough year. And again, I think that might be due to aging, and the guy might need a long summer. I won’t doubt that guy, but he’s struggling, and that’s your backbone.
I think you count the Panthers at your peril, especially since it’s a team that people want to go to and play for, right? So, I think it’s wise if you’re going to have a bad year, you might as well go to the bottom 10 and pick and take your chances next season.
Now, I saw someone who sent me a note. Obviously, they moved (Brad) Marchand to LTIR, so I have to think there’s a chance we’ll see him again this season.”
The main reason why the Panthers advanced to the Stanley Cup finals three years in a row was the play of Sergei Bobrovsky. He was not trading despite what others north of the border thought. Bobrovsky wants to stay in Florida and finish his career there.
NHL Trade Deadline Fallout: Montreal Canadiens, and Florida Panthers
Given how most of the team is locked up through the 2030 season, the Panthers will want to lock him into a two- or three-year deal in the $6 million to $7.5 million range. Don’t count out GM Bill Zito trading for a goaltender to back up Bobrovsky and be the future once Bobrovsky is done.
Barkov covers a lot of defenses and when he’s back healthy, the Florida Panthers are a tough team to beat. As we saw with the Tampa Bay Lightning, the best thing is for them to have long offseasons and come back strong. The Lightning are primed to make another deep Stanley Cup run.
The same can be said for the Florida Panthers. Rest and recovery will help this team. So when next season comes around don’t be surprised if they are once again the favorite to win the Stanley Cup.
We had to restart our X account. Please follow @MyNHLRumorsX
Have you subscribed to our YouTube channel? Rumors and hot topics from around the league. We also post some stuff on Instagram.
If you like our reporting, choose NHLrumors.com as a favorite source on Google.
