Florida Panthers winger Brad Marchand is expected to miss about six weeks with a lower-body injury, head coach Paul Maurice said on Friday, two days after the veteran left a win over the Los Angeles Kings needing help off the ice.
Marchand was hurt late in the second period of Tuesday’s game when Brandt Clarke drove him into the Kings’ net. His left leg bent awkwardly against the post, and he struggled to put weight on it as he came off.
The sequence ended a short return: it was only his second game back after surgery in August.
That procedure followed a 2025-26 season that ended in March with what was believed to be a hip and sports-hernia problem. It is not clear whether the summer surgery addressed that injury, but the result is the same.
Marchand, who already sat out 21 of Florida’s last 23 games last year, is back on the shelf before the new season has found a rhythm.
At 38, he was supposed to spend his late career on one of the league’s strongest clubs. Instead he has joined a growing injury list in Sunrise.
Aleksander Barkov is again on long-term injured reserve, out six to eight weeks with a lower-body injury after missing all of 2025-26 with a knee problem suffered in training camp.
Gustav Forsling has also missed time, and Aaron Ekblad has been away for the birth of his first child.
When Marchand has been available, he has still produced. He scored once in his two appearances this season and finished last year with 27 goals and 54 points in 52 games.
His production has not depended on a fixed linemate, which has given Maurice flexibility while other regulars sit out.
Replacing him will not be simple. One option is to move Matthew Tkachuk onto the top line opposite his brother Brady, which would push rookie Sandis Vilmanis into the top six and likely drop Sam Lafferty to the fourth line.
That arrangement would ask more of Sam Reinhart, Sam Bennett, and Carter Verhaeghe at the top of the attack.
Florida’s depth may absorb some of the loss, but a two-time Stanley Cup winner is not a clean swap.
Maurice’s six-week estimate is the first firm timeline. Until Marchand returns, the Panthers will keep rearranging a lineup that is still a long way from full strength.
