Thus, the upcoming games will be crucial. If the Panthers cannot turn the tide before the trade deadline on March 6, they may be forced to wave the white flag on the season. After three straight runs to the Stanley Cup Final, it appears the wear and tear has finally caught up with Florida.

Still, even during one of the darkest stretches Marchand and the Panthers have endured in some time, there is a silver lining. However, as has often been the case for Florida this season, the good news did not come alone. Stanley Cup champion Dmitry Kulikov is back in the lineup, but another player is headed to injured reserve (IR).

“The Panthers have activated Dmitry Kulikov off IR, and placed Cole Schwindt on IR,” as reported by Alex Baumgartner from Five Reasons Sports.

Kulikov is back after long injury

As the Panthers visit the New York Islanders, Kulikov made his return to NHL action. The Russian blueliner is back in the lineup for the first time since October. 9, 2025. Kulikov underwent surgery to repair a torn labrum earlier on the season and had been placed on long-term injured reserve (LTIR) since.

Scwhindt will miss time

Schwindt has blossomed into a key piece on Florida’s fourth line. As the Panthers have struggled throughout the season, their bottom line has been a significant contributor for the Cats.

Playing alongside A.J. Greer and either Luke Kunin or Sandis Vilmanis, the 24-year-old Schwindt has recorded four points (three goals, one assist) in 22 games. Though far from a household name in the NHL, Schwindt’s absence could prove more costly than fans might expect. Numbers don’t lie, but they don’t always tell the whole story. When it comes to Schwindt’s impact, stats don’t do it justice.

However, the American and Canadians must put it all behind them—or at least set is aside. The 2025-26 NHL season has resumed, and the Florida Panthers must change the course if they want to stay alive in the Eastern Conference’s jam-packed postseason race.

On that note, Tkachuk voiced a clear message for the rest of the team, one that may serve as a reminder for Marchand, Bennett, and Reinhart. “We have to flip the switch,” Tkachuk stated, per @JamesonCoop on X.

Obviously, it’s somewhat easy for Tkachuk to say such a thing after winning gold along his brother Brady and the rest of Team USA. For his teammates, especially those who fell just short, it’s definitely not.

Marchand can chase another trophy

For Marchand, who likely played in his first and last Olympics, flipping the switch is not an easy thing. In doing so, the 37-year-old veteran would be accepting that his pursuit for an Olympic gold medal has come to an end. However, Marchand’s chapter with Team Canada may have more in store.

While making the Stanley Cup Playoffs with the Panthers is the clear goal for Marchand and company after the break, there is a silver lining for the veteran in the event they miss the postseason. The 2026 IIHF World Championship will be held in Switzerland from May 15–31. While the rest of the NHL competes for the Stanley Cup, players on teams whose seasons have ended can be called upon to represent their countries.

For Marchand, who has repeatedly stated how much he embraces every opportunity to compete for trophies and represent Canada, it may be an unsurpassable chance to don the Maple Leaf sweater once more. Obviously, he would much rather be playing meaningful NHL hockey in late May, but at least he may not come away empty-handed if Florida cannot complete a miraculous late-season turnaround to reach the playoffs.

Are the Panthers on a playoff spot?

Coming out of the Olympic break, the reigning back-to-back Stanley Cup champions sit in last place in the Atlantic Division with 61 points in 57 games. The Panthers are eight points back of the final wild-card spot, currently held by the Boston Bruins with 69 points.

Needless to say, the Cats will need all hands on deck. Thus, the Panthers hinting the return of two Stanley Cup champions could be just what the doctor ordered for Tkachuk, Marchand, Bennett, and company to pick up the pace and go on a red-hot run to close out the regular season.

Perhaps Tkachuk’s gold medal and the chip on the shoulders of Marchand, Bennett, and Reinhart are exactly what the Panthers need to emerge from the break fully recharged.

“Paul Maurice just told Joe Rose that Dmitry Kulikov and Tomas Nosek are coming out of the non-contact jersey for today’s practice,” as reported by George Richards of NHL.com.

It may take a while before Kulikov can return to the ice and Nosek can make his debut in the 2025–26 NHL campaign, but the fact that both are back practicing at full capacity is definitely a good sign.

Kulikov and Nosek may need more time

However, despite the intensity brought into the training facility by Tkachuk, Marchand, and company, it doesn’t quite equal the pace and aggressiveness of an NHL game.

Even if Kulikov and Nosek don’t wear non-contact jerseys, the rest of the team knows both are coming off long-term injuries and won’t go at full speed against them. In an NHL game, opponents won’t care about that. Thus, Paul Maurice and his staff must be completely sure Kulikov and Nosek can withstand that rhythm before sending them onto the ice.

When was Kulikov and Nosek’s last NHL game?

Tomas Nosek has yet to play a game in the 2025-26 campaign. The Czech forward underwent surgery on his knee during the summer. His last appearance for the Panthers was on Game 6 of the 2025 Stanley Cup Final. Needless to say, Nosek went out with a bang, but the wait has been too long, and he hopes to be back in action soon.

As for Kulikov, the veteran defenseman sustained a labrum tear in the second game of the 2025-26 regular season. The Russian blueliner underwent surgery on his shoulder and was placed on long-term injured reserve (LTIR). Four months later, he may finally be seeing the light at the end of the tunnel.

After missing the last two games of the group stage, Marchand is ready to be back on the ice in the Winter Olympics. Marchand has gone through almost every emotion as he voiced sincere feelings on his role with Team Canada. Hoping to be back in the lineup in the first win-or-go-home game of the tournament for Canada, Marchand will most likely take on Pastrnak, who he knows like the back of his hand due to their shared NHL history in Boston.

However, there might be no love—or respect—from Pastrnak’s Czechia, as it eyes a historic upset victory in the 2026 Winter Olympics. Widely considered the favorites to strike gold—along with Team USA—Marchand and Canada can’t afford a misstep, but Czechia will grant them nothing. If the Maple Leaf wants to move on to the semifinals, it will have to earn it.

“It might be the best team ever,” Pastrnak admitted about Team Canada, via NHL.com’s Dan Rosen. “So maybe we have to put the respect aside a little bit and try to take their game to them.”

Emotional matchup

While both teams will hold nothing back, only one can go through to the next stage in Milano Cortina 2026. Czechia acknowledges—and fully embraces—the underdog role set upon it. Meanwhile, the Czech hope their Canadian counterparts crumble to the pressure on their shoulders.

“We let them win the first one because we knew we were not going to win two in a row against Canada,” Czechia star Martin Necas jokingly—and not so much—stated about the upcoming showdown against Canada. Czechia fell by a score of 5-0 when the two sides met in Group A. However, now they will play for all the marbles, and that precedent has become utterly meaningless.

Necas’ message, as well as Pastrnak’s, shows just how much respect Team Canada’s lineup demands across the Winter Olympics. Still, that doesn’t mean the rest of the teams will go easy on them. In the contrary, it might mean the complete opposite. Everybody is coming for the The Great White North, so Marchand and company must sleep with one eye open.

“To be honest, coming in, I didn’t think I’d be in the lineup. I thought I’d kinda be the extra guy and be a voice,” Marchand admitted, via Sportsnet’s Luke Fox. “Try to be loud and obnoxious in the room. So, I mean, I’m just so proud and honored to be part of this group.”

Dealing with an injury for a while now, Marchand missed the last two games of the round-robin stage in the 2026 Winter Olympics. During his lone appearance (so far), though, he made sure to record his first Olympic point, assisting Bo Horvat during Team Canada’s 5-0 victory over Czechia.

Although Marchand is crucial to the lineup, Crosby and company took care of business during his absence. The group stage came to a close and the Maple Leaf finished with a perfect 3-0-0 record (9 points), as well as the No. 1 seed in the tournament. As Cooper confirmed, Marchand is available to play in the knockout round—the rest of the nations might be wise to keep an eye on him.

The real fun begins for Team Canada

However, seeding will become meaningless when the puck drops in the quarterfinals and beyond. If anything, being the highest-ranked national team at Milano Cortina 2026 will only put a giant target on Marchand and Team Canada’s back.

Everybody will be coming for them—especially Team USA, which craves revenge for last year’s 4 Nations defeat. Revenge is a dish best served cold, and despite everything that can be said about the smaller Olympic hockey rink in Milan, it is certainly freezing down there.

Canada vs. USA: be careful what you wish for

Team USA and Canada will put the frozen surface to the test by bringing the heat game in and game out, though. With all the history behind the two powerhouses, it’s no surprise Matthew Tkachuk issued a bold comment warning Team Canada, as he spoke about the Americans rallying behind captain Auston Matthews.

Still, only a quick look at the Winter Olympics updated bracket shows Team USA and Canada can’t play each other until the gold medal game. Thus, both sides must first make sure they reach that stage before actively going at each other’s throat. On paper, the Americans and Canadians may be a peck above the rest. Yet, when standing on thin ice, everything evens up and anything can happen.

Shortly after Tkachuk made his season debut—appearing in his first game since Game 6 of the 2025 Stanley Cup Final—Florida saw both Marchand and Anton Lundell sustain injuries. Now, Sam Bennett has been injured as well.

Needless to say, the odds are not in the Panthers’ favor to make the postseason. A miracle may be needed, and Tkachuk didn’t sugarcoat that feeling when he addressed the media following the 5-3 loss to the Buffalo Sabres, the team’s fourth-straight in the 2025-26 NHL season.

“We are in trouble now,” Tkachuk stated, via Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald. “If we don’t simplify (our game), this year is going to get away from us.”

Playoff race is getting away from Panthers

The Panthers are spiraling out of control. Florida now drags a four-game losing streak—with three of those losses coming at home. The Panthers sit nine points back of the final wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference.

Moreover, every team currently holding a playoff position is on a heater, while the reigning back-to-back Stanley Cup champions can’t build momentum. That’s nearly impossible to do when stars go down with injuries on a nightly basis.

Injury-plagued Panthers

Tkachuk and the Panthers would love to have Marchand back on the lineup. The 37-year-old veteran has been the best player on the team this season—and arguably ever since he arrived in Sunrise last year. However, with just two games left on the schedule before the 2026 Olympics, it doesn’t look like Florida will risk Marchand missing the one tournament he’s always dreamed of playing in.

In the meantime, the Panthers must weather the storm with the available pieces they have. Florida is currently missing all five centers who played during their 2025 Stanley Cup run (Aleksander Barkov, Sam Bennett, Anton Lundell, Tomas Nosek, and Nico Sturm).

On the defensive side of the puck, the Cats are missing much security on the blueline as Dmitry Kulikov and Seth Jones remain sidelined with long-term injuries. Needless to say, the blueprint for back-to-back Cups has gone up in flames and now looks like a recipe for disaster.

The Panthers have been affected by a season-long injury bug. Watching star players go down like flies night in and night out, it was Marchand and company who kept the ship afloat. However, the 37-year-old can only take them so far in an 82-game NHL campaign.

Though Tkachuk’s return is a little further down the road, the Cats are trending to welcome back one of the most exciting young players on the roster: Mackie Samoskevich.

“Maurice says he’s ‘hopeful’ that Samoskevich will be able to return for the game vs. Tampa after the [Christmas] break,” Panthers beat reporter Jameson Olive stated on X.

Tkachuk’s timeline

All season long, fans in Sunrise have wondered when Tkachuk was going to make his return to the ice. After undergoing surgery on a torn adductor and a sports hernia, everybody knew it would take a while for him to be back with the Panthers. Still, the prospect of playing in the southernmost Winter Classic in NHL history at loanDepot Park in Miami has been enough to fuel Tkachuk’s recovery journey.

The timeline for him still stands at January 2, when the Panthers take on the New York Rangers outdoors in the elements—if playing in tropical Little Havana can even be called that. Tkachuk himself has recently issued an honest statement on how he feels heading into the home stretch of his post-surgery rehabilitation.

“I (expletive) feel great, Brady [Tkachuk]. Really, really good,” Matthew Tkachuk said during the latest episode of his podcast, Wingmen with Matthew and Brady Tkachuk. “I will be back with the team practicing probably right after Christmas, if things go as they’ve been going. I’m just following the doctors and trainers orders right now.”

Panthers are back in business

In the meantime, Marchand and the Panthers will vie to keep it rolling. After struggling to be consistent all season long, Florida is now 8-2-0 in its last 10 outings.

Heading into the holidays break, the back-to-back Stanley Cup champions are holding the last wild card spot in the Eastern Conference. Considering they are missing Tkachuk, Barkov, Kulikov, Nosek, Schwindt, and Gadjovich, things could be much worse for the Cardiac Cats.

In many ways, Tyler Seguin and Brad Marchand’s style of play show much resemblance. Perhaps, it’s the fact both were drafted and molded early in their careers by the Boston Bruins. The two were a part of the Stanley Cup-winning roster in Beantown in the 2010-11 NHL season.

However, it looks like all love has now been lost between the two veterans. That was made clear after reports emerged of what Marchand said to Seguin during the game at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas.

“Feels like yesterday when you came into the league a little baby boy. You still act like a baby boy,” Marchand told Seguin, as reported by The Dallas Morning News’ Lia Assimakopoulos on X.

Back on track

The Panthers desperately needed to turn the page after losing in embarrassing fashion to the Colorado Avalanche. Suffice to say, defeating Dallas 4-0 on the road provided just what Florida hoped—and more.

Though it’s been far from an ideal season, the Panthers have now won four of their last five outings. They will hope to ride the wave of momentum as the Cats return to the Sunshine State, but to take on the Tampa Bay Lightning at Benchmark International Arena in the Big Guava.

Florida must turn the tide, though. The Panthers have struggled against the Atlantic Division so far in the 2025-26 NHL campaign, recording a 2-4-0 mark against divisional foes. Moreover, the Bolts defeated the Cats 3-1 in the first ‘Battle of Florida’ of the season. In more ways than one, the reigning Stanley Cup champions have some ground to make up.

With the Panthers mired in a three-game losing streak, Marchand and the rest of the team are in much need for a morale and confidence injection. That may just come in the form of Carter Verhaeghe, who is back on the lineup after a one-game leave of absence.

According to Panthers reporter Jameson Olive, Verhaeghe will be back on the lineup when the Cats take on the Nashville Predators at home. Verheaghe missed Florida’s last outing as him and his wife, Casey, welcomed their firstborn, Rory. Perhaps, the new father on the team can help turn the tide for Marchand and the Panthers in what’s been a stressful NHL campaign.

Verhaeghe is back: Panthers’ updated forward lines

With the key forward back on the lineup, the Panthers now feature a lineup that looks more familiar. Verhaeghe’s return will be on the third line, joining Sam Bennett and A.J. Greer. Rookie Jack Devine will be coming out of the lineup, making room for ‘Swaggy’. So far in the season—and his NHL career—the former seventh-round pick has appeared in six games, registering no points and a plus/minus of -3.

The top unit will feature Brad Marchand, Anton Lundell, and Mackie Samoskevich, as Eetu Luostarinen has yet to be cleared to play after suffering burns in a home incident involving a barbecue. The second line will feature: Jesper Boqvist, Evan Rodrigues, and Sam Reinhart. Last but not least, the fourth line will include Noah Gregor, Luke Kunin, and Jack Studnicka.

Updates on Tkachuk

Still, the Panthers are a long ways from truly looking like themselves. It seems that as long as Aleksander Barkov, Matthew Tkachuk, Eetu Luostarinen, Tomas Nosek, and Jonah Gadjovich remain sidelined, these Cats will always look a gear off. If there’s a silver lining, it’s the fact that Tkachuk is back on the ice—though it’s usually in fits and starts, not consistently.

According to several reports, his timetable for return is still set for late December. After a challenging semester, there may be nothing Marchand and company would like more than to find a fully healthy Tkachuk underneath the Christmas tree. One thing seems clear: the face of the franchise will do everything he can to be on the ice on January 2, when the Cats face off against the New York Rangers in the Winter Classic at LoanDepot Park in Little Havana.

Coming into the NHL campaign, Marchand the Panthers knew they were in for a rollercoaster of a year. If the offseason had been chaotic, the regular season would be a whole different beast.

With that in mind, the organization rolled the dice on veteran defenseman Jeff Petry. However, only 25 games into the season, the decision seems to have backfired. Petry hasn’t had the production Maurice and company expected, so he is now being taken out of the lineup.

Panthers making changes to the lineup

As reported by NHL.com’s George Richards, Petry will not be on the lineup as the Panthers gear up to host the Nashville Predators. With no injuries, setbacks, or further explanations given for the decision, all signs indicate the 37-year-old blueliner (who turns 38 on December 9th) will serve as a healthy scratch.

Donavan Sebrango will slot back into the lineup, filling the vacant spot alongside Uvis Balinskis on the third defensive pairing. The reactions all over social media indicate the fans approve of the lineup change. However, Sunrise will only be truly happy if it leads to the Cats snapping their current three-game losing streak.

Panthers must end the hex

Florida has dropped its last four home games at Amerant Bank Arena. The barn in Sunrise has seen another Stanley Cup championship banner rise to the rafters and a state-of-the-art jumbotron light up center ice for the 2025-26 campaign. However, the product on the ice has been far from meeting expectations. Though it’s still very early, the dreams of a three-peat in the NHL are beginning to feel like fantasy.

The Panthers may find a scapegoat in Petry—who has endured some very rough outings—but Marchand and the rest of the team know they hold the key to saving the season. They could go down the blaming road, pointing fingers at one another, or they can rally to get back on track. Whether that’s with Petry in or out of the lineup, all that matters is finding a way to right the ship—or better yet, the airboat in the Everglades.

During Sam Reinhart’s 800th game in the NHL, Marchand and the Panthers were found flat-footed when the Maple Leafs walked into Amerant Bank Arena. Florida can’t end their losing hex, falling in three straight home outings. Returning to Sunrise for a six-game homestand, the Cats hoped for much better results. Now, Reinhart issued a straightforward message for the team.

“There is some frustration, for sure,” Reinhart said, via NHL.com. “A lot of things have gone right for us over the past few years, and that certainly adds to it. But we have been in this position before. It is going to be guys in the room and guys who are healthy who are going to bring us out of it.”

Reinhart provided the only beacon of hope

Aside from Reinhart’s milestone, the game against the Leafs was a night that offered little of note. Reinhart scored a shorthanded goal to cut Toronto’s lead in half at 2-1. However, that was all the scoring Florida did all game. Far from putting the pressure on the visiting Buds, the Cats allowed two more goals to the Leafs.

It was yet another disheartening performance for the Panthers in the 2025-26 NHL season. Marchand didn’t have a good night against the Leafs — nor did any player on Florida’s roster. The 37-year-old veteran was kept off the scoresheet, as his four-game point streak came to an end.

Paul Maurice’s message

The Panthers are sensing the pressure. They may act as if nothing bothers them and be confident there is still a lot of hockey left to be played in the 2025-26 NHL season. Still, sooner or later, panic mode will invade the locker room if the losses keep piling up.

“In these situations, just staying with it is the most important thing. But we’ve got to get better. It’s finding that good feeling,” Paul Maurice admitted after the game. “Sometimes it’s not a whole game. You’ve just got to start with a period. I thought we did that tonight even though it felt bad.”

The Panthers must get back in the win column immediately. Having lost four of its last five games, Florida knows it cannot afford another defeat. The Cats must change the tune. Up next, the Panthers will close out their homestand with games against the Nashville Predators, Columbus Blue Jackets, and New York Islanders.