Injuries have significantly impacted the Florida Panthers’ pursuit of a third consecutive Stanley Cup. However, assuming there are no further setbacks, they could return a trio of players shortly after the Olympic break.
In an update from the team, the Panthers could return Tomas Nosek, Dmitry Kulikov, and Jonah Gadjovich in their road trip at the beginning of March. That would indicate that each player should only miss a game or two before being activated from the long-term injured reserve.
Head coach Paul Maurice provided a quote explaining the situation, saying, “They’ll go probably non-contact this week and then maybe get released for contact in and around the Toronto game (at home on Feb. 26), which would keep them out of those games. But if they can get through the week, then somewhere on the road trip there will be a chance they’ll come back. I just don’t know the answer to a lot of them. They’ve been off for an awfully long time. We do need to get them into to a certain level of confidence before [they return].”
None of the three would provide Florida with a game-changing addition by any stretch, though a return of all three would drastically improve the team’s depth. Absent netminders, the Panthers have used 28 different players this season and have eight players currently dealing with some injury or another.
Nosek has missed the most time. After suffering a significant knee injury during offseason training that required surgery, Nosek has remained sidelined for the entire 2025-26 season up to this point. His first season with the Panthers came last season, scoring one goal and nine points in 59 games, averaging 9:49 of ice time.
Meanwhile, Kulikov has also been out for much of the 2025-26 campaign. Suffering a torn labrum in early October, the 35-year-old has been limited to two games this season. Throughout his last two years in Florida, he’s credited with five goals and 33 points in 146 games with 259 hits.
Like Kulikov, Gadjovich has also been out of the lineup since October. Also undergoing surgery, Gadjovich has only appeared in 10 games this year. As the Panthers continue their push toward the postseason, returning several of their injured players and adding a piece or two at the deadline should help in that endeavor.
May be a tad too late, but it wouldnt be uncharacteristic for the Panthers to make a crazy run. Wonder how they cap situation will play itself out
I remember last summer when the Panthers found a way to sign all the usual suspects , Zito somehow pulled it off, And the majority of the keyboard GMs on this site practically gave the this year’s Stanley Cup to the Panthers for the third straight season, What they overlooked, And what Bill Zito overlooked is that Sergei Bobrovsky, As great as he is, Doesn’t have it anymore.
Ignorant comment. Bobrovsky has been in the top 4 in Conn Smythe voting each of the past two seasons. Over the past 5 regular seasons, including this one to-date, he is also in the top 4. What Bobrovsky “doesn’t have…anymore” is a healthy enough group of competent skaters in front of him. There’s no way any GM, no matter how good, could have predicted the scope of the injuries, many concurrent, to the Panthers.
Let Wilf run. He has a substantial lead in ignorant comment category and has no desire to give up the crown. His player evaluation skills are suspect at best. One of his recent gems is that Steven (28 goals) Stamkos has nothing left in the tank, so his Bobrovsky comments likely means good things for the Panthers.
They should get a big jump in play from the returning Olympians, especially Tkachuk. Not sure if it’s enough to get them in the playoffs. Damn I miss watching Barkov play.
Bob is not having a great season, but no team can realistically manage the amount of games lost to injury. What changed the season was Barkov going down. Interesting no update on Seth Jones. Maybe Panthers miss the playoffs, get McKenna in the draft, rest up for another cup run.