There is possible concern that Brad Marchand's season could be finished after the Florida Panthers placed the veteran winger on the long-term injury reserve on Tuesday.
On Tuesday, defenseman Seth Jones made his long-awaited return to the Florida Panthers lineup, but as Jones was removed from the long-term injury reserve, Brad Marchand was placed on it.
In his return, Jones fired one shot on goal and was a plus-1 in 20:16 of ice time. Ultimately, the Panthers were defeated by the last-place Vancouver Canucks 5-2.
Including Marchand, the Panthers were without Sam Reinhart, Evan Rodrigues, Eetu Luostarinen, Uvis Balinskis, and Niko Mikkola.
Reinhart’s timeline is currently unknown, but he will be out for at least the rest of the Panthers’ road trip. As for Rodrigues, Luostarinen, and Mikkola, their ailments are considered day-to-day.
Marchand, on the other hand, is currently dealing with a lower-body injury that has lingered for months now. He missed a chunk of time in January, then returned for six games before missing more time in February, leading up to the Olympics. Upon returning from the Olympics, Marchand played in six games before coach Paul Maurice began to hold him out of the lineup.
According to Maurice, Marchand has been undergoing testing, but the details of his injury have not been finalized, so the information is not public just yet.
It can now be understood that Marchand is on the LTIR, which forces him to be out of action until at least April 2. If he is able to return by April 2, the Panthers would have just eight games remaining in the regular season. If the Panthers continue to trend toward missing the playoffs, they would likely be better suited to let Marchand sit out the remaining eight games and avoid the risk of worsening the injury.
At the moment, the Panthers have four players on LTIR: Marchand, Jonah Gadjovich, Cole Schwindt, and captain Aleksander Barkov.
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