Florida Panthers forward Brad Marchand will miss "a few weeks" with a left leg injury, according to The Associated Press. Marchand, who did not play in the team's first two games, appeared to hurt his leg during a 2-1 win over the Los Angeles Kings on Tuesday, the final game of the Panthers' season-opening four-game road trip. With 52.6 seconds remaining, he took a stick to the face from Kings defenseman Brandt Clarke, twisted around, collided with the right post, and his left leg bent back awkwardly. He was down on the ice for several minutes before teammates Brady Tkachuk and Niko Mikkola helped him to the bench, and he was unable to put weight on the leg.
The injury came just five days after Aleksander Barkov, one of the top two-way centers in hockey, hurt his left leg in an overtime loss at San Jose. Coach Paul Maurice said Barkov will not require surgery and is expected back within six to eight weeks. "I promise I'll be back in the Panthers' uniform very soon," Barkov said Thursday. The Panthers seemed to dodge serious bullets in both cases. The team won back-to-back Stanley Cup titles in 2024 and 2025, then missed the playoffs last season after a series of injuries derailed several players, including Barkov and Marchand.
Seeing Barkov limp off the ice and then Marchand need help leaving a few nights later brought back painful memories of last season. "Last year was tough, so my first thought was, 'Do I have to go through that again?'" Barkov said. "But then, obviously, really good news came pretty soon after that." He plans to meet with the team as early as Friday to develop a return-to-play plan, including a target date for resuming skating.
Initial testing ruled out anything season-ending for Barkov, and Maurice said the team had resumed joking about his absence, a reaction he considered an excellent sign. "They said I'm taking my annual vacation," Barkov said. "That's OK."
Source: ESPN NHL · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing