Panthers’ Ekblad, Kulikov add to team’s long list of injuries
Things just continue to spiral for the two-time defending Stanley Cup champions.
According to George Richards of Florida Hockey Now, the Florida Panthers are set to be without defensemen Aaron Ekblad and Dmitry Kulikov for Thursday night’s tilt against the Boston Bruins due to upper-body injuries. Given the severity of both players’ ailments, they might be done for the rest of the season.
During Tuesday night’s game against the Ottawa Senators, Ekblad blocked a shot with his right hand during a penalty kill, but stayed on the ice. Richards reported that Ekblad suffered a fracture in his hand, which could keep him out of the lineup for the final weeks of the campaign.
Kulikov was also hurt in the Panthers’ 6-3 win over the Senators. Kulikov exited earlier in the third period after taking a puck to the face, with head coach Paul Maurice later revealing that the Russian rearguard was going to need a CT scan to determine how badly Kulikov was hurt.
The latest injuries only add to the laundry list of star players that the Panthers are without as their bumbling 2025-26 campaign comes to an end. The team’s chances of defending its title took a hit in the preseason when captain Aleksander Barkov suffered an ACL and BCL injury that has knocked him out for the entire season. Brad Marchand has been out for the past month with a lower-body injury, with Sam Reinhart likely done for the season as well.
Anton Lundell, Evan Rodrigues, Cole Schwindt, Jonah Gadjovich, Niko Mikkola and Uvis Balinskis are all Florida regulars who are out of commission right now. At least the team will have a long offseason to rest up for a hopefully better outcome during the 2026-27 season.
In 72 games this year, Ekblad has scored four goals and 22 assists for 26 points. Kulikov, who missed almost five months after getting hurt just two games into the season, hasn’t registered a point in his 17 appearances.
The Panthers (36-35-3) are last in the Atlantic Division, and could officially be eliminated from postseason contention on Thursday.