The Florida Panthers are hoping to begin adding injured players back into their lineup, and coach Paul Maurice provided some encouraging updates on Dmitry Kulikov and Jonah Gadjovich.
Florida Panthers coach Paul Maurice provided injury updates to veterans Dmitry Kulikov and Jonah Gadjovich.
The pair of veterans have missed most of the season so far, with Kulikov playing just two games and Gadjovich playing 10.
Kulikov suffered an upper-body injury and has been on the IR ever since. The 35-year-old has become a dependable third-pairing defenseman instrumental to their penalty-kill success. He was given a five-month timeline due to a labral tear.
When Maurice spoke about Kulikov's injury, he stated that they could get him back in action by mid-March.
Gadjovich suffered an upper-body injury as well and underwent surgery to repair the issue. He was handed a three-month timeline back on Nov. 8, and Maurice said they aren't expecting him back until after the Olympic break. The 27-year-old notched three assists before sustaining the injury.
"There's a reason for that [recovery] window," said Maurice. "Yeah, there's some guys that have come back earlier, but then there's a whole bunch of guys that have been longer."
Jameson Olive also reported that Cole Schwindt is out of the cast, but no further updates were provided. Tomas Nosek is in the same category as Aleksander Barkov in the sense that they are still so far from even thinking about a return.
Although the Panthers' injury list remains extensive, it's a positive sign to see some possible return dates. Matthew Tkachuk could feature in the Winter Classic, and they could see depth players return to the lineup within the next couple of months.
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