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Brad Marchand To Debut For Panthers Friday

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March 28: Marchand will make his Panthers debut tonight, Maurice confirmed (via Olive).

March 26: One of the most notable trade deadline additions has yet to debut with his new team. When the Panthers made a last-second move to acquire Bruins star winger Brad Marchand on March 7, the Boston captain was nursing an upper-body injury sustained the weekend prior. He’s been occasionally practicing with his new team as he nears a return to play, which Florida head coach Paul Maurice said could be Friday’s game against Utah (via the team’s Jameson Olive).

It’s not a set deal, and there won’t be a transaction prefacing it as Marchand isn’t on injured reserve. He last played on March 1, when a hit from Penguins defenseman Pierre-Olivier Joseph sent him awkwardly into the boards and then to the locker room.

Before the injury and subsequent trade, Marchand had his worst offensive campaign in a decade. Of course, the ever-consistent winger was still on pace for a respectable 63 points, not a massive drop-off from last year’s 67 and almost to be expected given Boston’s general offensive struggles this season. He’s still a bona fide top-six forward, especially on a Florida team that’s had to deploy names like depth pivot Jesper Boqvist and rookie Mackie Samoskevich in second-line roles as of late with Marchand and Matthew Tkachuk on the shelf. Whether he gets a look on the top line with Aleksander Barkov remains to be seen, but at the very least, he should slot in as the Cats’ second-line left wing alongside Sam Bennett – a duo of pests that will likely land Tkachuk on the right side when he’s ready to return.

Some good news on the injury front is a welcome change of pace for the Panthers, who’ve also had their blue line decimated by a suspension to Aaron Ekblad and an injury to Dmitry Kulikov. They’ve gone 3-4-0 in their last seven as a result, dropping back into a tie with the Maple Leafs for first place in the Atlantic Division – a tiebreaker that Toronto currently holds with four more wins in regulation and overtime. They’re scoring 2.29 goals per game over that stretch, far below their season average of 3.23.

Morning Notes: Kulikov, Gaucher, Backlund

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Florida Panthers head coach Paul Maurice believes that defenseman Dmitry Kulikov could return to the lineup during the last week of the NHL regular season (as per Panthers Senior Digital Content Manager Jameson Olive). Kulikov is sidelined with an upper-body injury that has kept him out of the last three games, but he could return just in time for the playoffs.

The 34-year-old isn’t the producer he once was but has averaged 19:17 of ice time per game this season in 68 games. The 16-year NHL veteran has tallied four goals and nine assists this season along with a +13 plus/minus. However, he has struggled with the puck, committing 72 turnovers which eclipses his career high by nearly 20.

In other morning notes:

  • Anaheim Ducks AHL affiliate the San Diego Gulls, tweeted that forward Nathan Gaucher had successful shoulder surgery and will miss the rest of the 2024-25 season as he will need a 4-6 month recovery. Gaucher was the Ducks first-round pick in 2022 (22nd overall)  and had a labral tear in his left shoulder that could cause him to miss the start of next season while he recovers. The 21-year-old hasn’t found his offensive game in the AHL to this point in his young career, producing just eight goals and 11 assists this season in 56 AHL games. While the start to his professional career has been disappointing, Gaucher is just two years removed from representing Team Canada at the World Juniors and certainly possesses the physical gifts to make it as a top-nine NHL forward.
  • The Calgary Flames received some good news on the injury front last night as captain Mikael Backlund returned to the lineup after missing six games with an upper-body injury (as per Sportsnet 960’s Pat Steinberg). The 36-year-old had last played on March 12th against Vancouver and should give an added boost to the Flames as they try and chase down a playoff spot in the Western Conference. Backlund is in his 17th NHL season and still provides solid two-way play for Calgary, even if his offensive numbers aren’t what they used to be. Backlund has just 11 goals and 13 assists this season in 65 games, but his deployment has been skewed towards the defensive side of the game this season, which makes sense given that he has received Selke Trophy consideration in seven of the last eight years.

Liam McLinskey To Sign AHL Deal In Panthers Organization

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1:19 p.m.: The Checkers have confirmed the signing.

12:33 p.m.: The Panthers are bringing Hobey Baker Award finalist Liam McLinskey into the organization on a two-year contract with AHL Charlotte, PHR can report. The deal begins next season, but he’ll finish 2024-25 on an ATO with Charlotte following a standout senior season at Holy Cross.

One of the top 10 names in voting for the Hobey this year, it’s a tad surprising not to see the 24-year-old McLinskey land an NHL commitment. The 6’3″, 165-lb forward dominated AHA play with the Crusaders this year, ranking second in the entire NCAA in scoring with 24-30–54 in 40 appearances. However, Holy Cross won’t be in the national tournament starting today after losing the conference championship game to Bentley.

[RELATED: List Of NHL Prospects In The 2025 NCAA Championship Tournament]

The undrafted New York native’s breakout didn’t come out of nowhere. He transferred to Holy Cross after spending his freshman year as a reserve player for Quinnipiac, getting into just two games. Upon arrival in Worcester, he scored 21 goals in 40 games in 2022-23 but managed just four assists. McLinskey’s playmaking and point totals improved linearly over the following years, upping his production to 47 points in 39 games last year before this season’s 54-point effort. He was also a top-10 finalist for the Hobey in 2024.

While he’ll head to Charlotte to suit up with the Panthers’ farm-bound prospects, signing a minor-league contract means he remains an unrestricted free agent in the NHL’s eyes. He’s free to take an NHL offer if one comes up, although it stands to reason Florida will offer him a deal if they like what they see from him down the stretch in Charlotte. McLinskey’s birthday was in February, so he’s still eligible for an entry-level deal, albeit a one-year pact, if they sign him during the 2025 calendar year. If the Panthers or any other team waits until the beginning of 2026 to sign him to an NHL contract, he’ll no longer be eligible for an ELC and would need to sign a two-way deal without performance bonuses.

A right-winger with some utility at center, McLinskey could be a notable injection into a league-worst Panthers prospect pool, as graded by Scott Wheeler of The Athletic. The only player to outproduce McLinskey this season, Denver forward Jack Devine, is the No. 2 prospect in Florida’s system.

Brad Marchand Should Debut In One Week

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  • Despite being acquired by the team two weeks ago, Brad Marchand has yet to debut with the Florida Panthers. It shouldn’t be too long as Tom Gulitti of NHL.com passed along a note from Panthers’ head coach Paul Maurice saying Marchand should only be a week away from returning. Florida has a light schedule throughout the next week so Marchand may only miss two or three more games. That would allow him to play in the Panthers’ final nine or 10 games of the regular season should his recovery process continue in the right direction.

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Panthers’ Dmitry Kulikov Out Week-To-Week

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Panthers defenseman Dmitry Kulikov is out week-to-week with the upper-body injury he sustained in Sunday’s outing against the Islanders, head coach Paul Maurice said today (via the team’s Jameson Olive). He’s not expected to miss the remainder of the regular season, however.

Kulikov left the game in the first period after awkwardly twisting while trying to hit Islanders winger Anthony Duclair in the neutral zone. He was favoring his right forearm as he left the ice.

A trip to IR doesn’t seem likely at this stage of the season with no roster limits in effect, but he should be expected to miss Florida’s five remaining games in March at the very least. The Panthers’ final game of the regular season is a potentially key playoff positioning matchup against the Lightning on April 15, so his return timeline is likely in the two-to-three-week range rather than the one-month area.

Nonetheless, the injury couldn’t come at a worse time for Florida. They’re already without top right-shot rearguard Aaron Ekblad for the rest of the regular season and two playoff games after he was suspended for using performance-enhancing substances, and their odds of winning the Atlantic Division have slipped to 48% after back-to-back losses to the Canadiens and Islanders over the weekend. Florida also has a more difficult remaining schedule (.554) than their competitors for the crown, the Lightning (.543) and Maple Leafs (.535), per Tankathon.

Kulikov is no stranger to injuries, only managing 70-plus games six times in his 16-year NHL career. He’d been mostly healthy since rejoining the Cats for his second stint in South Florida in the summer of 2023, though, only missing one game due to injury and another two due to suspension.

The 34-year-old played a bottom-pairing role in last season’s Stanley Cup win, but he’s seen his minutes elevated this year after the club lost Oliver Ekman-Larsson and Brandon Montour to unrestricted free agency. Averaging over 19 minutes per night, the stay-at-home Kulikov has 4-9–13 with a +13 rating in 68 games. He ranks third on the team with 70 blocked shots and leads Florida defenders with 110 hits. He inked a four-year, $4.6MM extension last summer that will likely see him finish his career in Sunrise.

Nate Schmidt elevated into Kulikov’s second-pairing role alongside Niko Mikkola in practice today, per Olive. Tobias Björnfot will draw into the lineup tomorrow against the Blue Jackets after being recalled yesterday. There’s now even more pressure on Seth Jones, who has just one assist and a minus-four rating in seven games since being acquired from the Blackhawks, to improve his play with two key defensemen sidelined.

Panthers Recall Tobias Bjornfot

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The Florida Panthers have recalled defenseman Tobias Bjornfot from the AHL. This move comes after Dmitry Kulikov was injured in the first period of the team’s Sunday loss to the New York Islanders, after getting wrapped up on Islanders forward Anthony Duclair. This marks Bjornfot’s second call-up as a member of the Panthers organization, after spending 20 days on the NHL roster in January. He stepped into eight NHL games on the recall and managed no scoring.

Bjornfot has otherwise spent the rest of the season in the minors. He’s amassed 16 points, 22 penalty minutes, and a plus-one in 43 games with the Charlotte Checkers, good for third on the team’s blue-line in scoring. It’s just his third full season in the NHL since making his professional debut in the 2019-20 season. He spent the bulk of that year with the AHL’s Ontario Reign where he recorded 19 points, 12 penalty minutes, and a plus-13 in 44 games. Bjornfot received the first three games of his NHL career in the mix of those minor league minutes, and earned a hardier shot at the Los Angeles Kings lineup over the next two years. But he only managed 14 points through the first 106 games of his NHL career, prompting a return to the minors for the start of the 2022-23 campaign. Bjornfot scored 12 points in 50 AHL games that year.

Bjornfot followed another middling year in the minors with a winding journey last season. He appeared in games for Los Angeles, Vegas, and Florida throughout the 2023-24 season – and moved between each team through two separate waiver claims. Ultimately, Bjornfot couldn’t find his footing in any of his new destinations – and managed no scoring through 11 NHL games or five AHL games on the season. He’s returned to the scoresheet through the first half of this year, but still hasn’t found a consistent stride.

There’s been no indication as to whether Kulikov will be available for Florida’s Thursday matchup against the Columbus Blue Jackets. He’ll vacate a top-pair role if he does have to sit out, opening the door for Bjornfot to earn modest ice time as Florida mends an already-weakened blue-line.  Bjornfot has averaged 13:24 in ice time through his eight NHL appearances this season. A lineup nod would give Bjornfot another chance to earn his first point as a member of the Florida Panthers – and his first NHL point outside of the Los Angeles Kings organization.

Panthers And Sam Bennett Have Resumed Extension Talks

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Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reported last night on Saturday Headlines that the Florida Panthers and pending UFA center Sam Bennett have re-started contract talks. Bennett is in the final season of a four-year $17.7MM contract that he signed back on July 26th, 2021, just three months after the Panthers had acquired Bennett from the Calgary Flames for a second-round pick in 2022 and Emil Heineman. The trade was a massive win for Florida as Bennett had never lived up to the lofty expectations that were placed on him in Calgary, but has developed into a strong two-way play driver with the Panthers.

The $4.425MM AAV has been a huge discount for the Panthers as Bennett signed the deal when the NHL was in a very different economic landscape and Bennett had yet to become the player he is today. Bennett had never topped 40 points in a season in Calgary but has done so in every season since joining Florida and is currently on pace for a career year with 22 goals and 23 assists in 65 games.

More importantly, Bennett has shown an ability to elevate his game when it matters most, evidenced by the Panthers’ last two playoff runs to the Finals and Bennett’s performance in the 4 Nations Face-Off. The Holland Landing, Ontario native has 12 goals and 17 assists in 39 games over the last two playoff runs with the Panthers and was a crucial part of their Stanley Cup Championship last season.

Bennett’s contract negotiations will be tough as he will likely be looking for a salary in the range of $7MM-$8MM annually on a seven or eight year deal. Top six centers usually get an AAV in that range in July, but Bennett is a unique case given that his career offensive numbers don’t necessarily scream top six. However, Elias Lindholm received a $7.75MM AAV last summer from the Boston Bruins, and with a rising salary cap, Bennett will be looking for similar money and could certainly get it on the open market. Whether or not the Panthers will match that remains to be seen, they will have some tough decisions to make this summer as Aaron Ekblad is also a pending UFA and Anton Lundell appears ready to take on a bigger role in Florida’s top six.

Panthers Move Jones To Top Powerplay Unit

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Due to the recent 20-game suspension to Florida Panthers’ defenseman Aaron Ekblad for violating the terms of the NHL/NHLPA Performance Enhancing Substances Program, the team needed a new first-line powerplay quarterback and top-pairing defenseman. As expected, that distinction will go to newly acquired defenseman Seth Jones.

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Update On Brad Marchand’s Injury, Extension Negotiatons

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Much of the buzz around TD Garden this morning came from Brad Marchand’s return to the ice in another team’s jersey. The Boston Bruins recently traded their former captain to the Florida Panthers just before the trade deadline for a conditional 2027 second-round pick.

Seeing Marchand practice in Panthers’ garb firmly cemented the reality of the trade in the minds of Bruins’ fans. However, as much as Marchand’s first game with Florida may have a similar emotional impact, it’s still far off.

The Panthers’ head coach, Paul Maurice, spoke to reporters after practice today, illustrating the team’s hope that Marchand will return to the ice before the end of the regular season (Tweet Link). Marchand’s recovery timeline from his upper-body injury is still considered week-to-week.

The upper-body injury prohibited Marchand from participating in Boston’s final three games before the deadline, effectively ending his 16-year career with the team on March 1st. Primarily because the injury limited Marchand to only three shifts in his final game with the Bruins, his last point with the team came on February 25th against the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Conor Ryan of The Boston Globe asked if that would be his final game as a Bruin by questioning if that chapter of his career had fully closed during Marchand’s media availability. Ryan dictated Marchand, saying, “I don’t know, I guess is how I would respond to that. I don’t know what the future brings. I know it didn’t come together now. Can things change down the road? Potentially. But I don’t know where that goes.”

Extension negotiations between Boston and Marchand had been a talking point for much of the regular season. A report from Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman in late October suggested that Marchand was close to signing a three-year extension with the Bruins, only to have the report refuted by Marchand himself. Similarly, ESPN’s Emily Kaplan shared one day after the trade that the Bruins had offered Marchand a three-year extension after offering him a two-year deal for much of the year, only to have Marchand disagree about the salary.

While the negotiations were taking place, Marchand and Bruins’ general manager, Don Sweeney, were fairly open with the media about their desires to agree on a contract extension. Although that may have been true for much of the season, the failed negotiations, the trade, and Marchand’s comments today don’t suggest he’ll return to the team a few months after they traded him.

NHL Suspends Aaron Ekblad 20 Games For Performance Enhancing Substances

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Panthers star defenseman Aaron Ekblad will miss the remainder of the regular season and first two games of the postseason after being suspended 20 games for violating the terms of the NHL/NHLPA Performance Enhancing Substances Program, the league announced today. The suspension is without pay is accompanied by “mandatory referral to the NHL/NHLPA Program for Substance Abuse and Behavioral Health for evaluation and possible treatment.”

Suspensions for PEDs are quite rare in the NHL, but based on previous precedent, the length is to be expected. Nate Schmidt, now Ekblad’s teammate in Florida, was the most recent player to be suspended under the program while he was with the Golden Knights in training camp in 2018. He was also handed out a 20-game ban to begin the regular season, during which time he inked a six-year extension with Vegas.

Ekblad is just the sixth player to be suspended for PEDs since the 2012 lockout. Unlike in Schmidt’s case, where he testified he “could not have received any performance enhancement benefit from the trace amount that inadvertently got into my system,” Ekblad will not appeal the suspension and released the following statement (via Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman):

The news that I had failed a random drug test was a shock. Ultimately, I made a mistake by taking something to help me recover from recent injuries without first checking with proper medical and team personnel. I have let my teammates, the Panthers organization and our great fans down. For that, I am truly sorry. I have accepted responsibility for my mistake and will be fully prepared to return to my team when my suspension is over. I have learned a hard lesson and cannot wait to be back with my teammates.

The 29-year-old will not carry a cap hit for the remainder of the regular season, PuckPedia confirms, although that’s somewhat moot with the trade deadline now in the rearview. He ends his regular season on a six-game point streak (seven assists, plus-three rating) and has 3-30–33 in 56 games on the year, a raucous return to form for the veteran. He’d seen his point totals drop steadily in the past few years as his power-play opportunities dwindled, bottoming out with a career-low 18 points in 51 games last year before Florida’s run to the Stanley Cup. He’s reclaimed top power-play minutes this year after Oliver Ekman-Larsson and Brandon Montour left in free agency, though, and his performance (and ice time) have benefitted as a result.

His top-pairing minutes alongside Gustav Forsling will now presumably go to fresh trade pickup Seth Jones down the stretch. The Cats still have plenty of meaningful games remaining as they try to battle out the Maple Leafs and Lightning for the Atlantic Division title and secure home ice through the first two rounds of the playoffs, simultaneously avoiding having to play both powerhouses in Tampa Bay in Toronto in back-to-back rounds as they attempt to gain a third consecutive Eastern Conference Final berth. Jones, who’s averaged 21 minutes per game since the trade while quarterbacking the Panthers’ second power-play unit, is still looking for his first point in a Florida uniform.

It’s worth noting Ekblad, the Panthers’ franchise leader in games played among defensemen, may have ended his regular-season tenure in South Florida on a sour note. He’s a pending unrestricted free agent and could head elsewhere on the open market in July.

Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.

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