Brad Marchand and the Florida Panthers simply can’t catch a break in the NHL season. If missing Matthew Tkachuk and Aleksander Barkov wasn’t enough, another key member of the Stanley Cup-winning rosters is going to be out for a long time.
Living in tropical South Florida, the Panthers know by heart that when it rains, it pours. Marchand has been in town for less than a year, but he’s already learned the meaning of that saying. The sun might shine year-round, with the Cats hoisting back-to-back Stanley Cups, but now they can’t seem to stop running into obstacles in the NHL.
In addition to Tkachuk, Barkov, and Tomas Nosek’s absences, Marchand and the Cats will now be missing defenseman Dmitry Kulikov, who went down with an upper-body injury in the second game of the 2025-26 NHL season.
As beat reporter Jameson Olive stated, Paul Maurice announced Kulikov is expected to miss five months. The blueliner underwent surgery to repair a labral tear, as the Panthers’ head coach commented.
Hold it down
Whenever it seems Florida has hit rock bottom in terms of depth and injuries, the Panthers are surprised with new lows. Marchand and company knew they faced an uphill climb in the 2025-26 NHL campaign, but they never imagined it could incline even further.
With Barkov, Tkachuk, Kulikov, and Nosek all expected to miss at least the first half of the season, the Panthers must find strength where there seems to be none. Florida must hold its ground as the rest of the league senses that the Cats are at their weakest point in a very long time.
If any team wants to take a swing at the back-to-back champions, this might be the time to do it. However, judging by how this season is shaping up for Florida, things could still get even tougher down the road.