The Panthers' defensive depth will once again be tested as Niko Mikkola and Uvis Balinskis are now sidelined for the season.
The Florida Panthers are going to be without two of their regular defenseman for the remainder of the season.
On Monday, Panthers Head Coach Paul Maurice provided an update on a pair of injured blueliners, and the prognosis was not good for either.
Niko Mikkola suffered a lower-body injury after what appeared to be a knee-on-knee hit with Calgary’s Ryan Strome during Friday’s 4-1 loss in Calgary.
Maurice said Mikkola will not need surgery, but he will be out for around four-to-six weeks.
“Good news on him, he’ll be (out) weeks instead of months,” Maurice said. “The other end of that spectrum is (Sasha) Barkov, so we’re really relieved with that one.”
Considering Florida’s season will likely be over in less than four weeks, it appears we’ve seen the last of Mikkola.
Fellow blueliner Uvis Balinskis has not played since March 10 against Detroit. He initially suffered an injury during a loss to Buffalo on Feb. 27, but he missed only one game before returning to play the following four.
Ultimately, that would be the end of the line for Balinskis, who Maurice said suffered a fracture in his foot and will also miss between four and six weeks.
Florida’s defensive corps now consists of Aaron Ekblad, Gus Forsling, Seth Jones, Dmitry Kulikov, Donovan Sebrango and Mike Benning.
A seventh defenseman will likely be recalled from AHL Charlotte at some point.
One positive to take is that there will be more opportunity Benning to play at the NHL level. He’s skated in five games with the Panthers this season, earning three assists and two shots on a plus-one on-ice rating while averaging 16:34 of ice time
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Photo caption: Dec 23, 2025; Raleigh, North Carolina, USA; Florida Panthers defenseman Niko Mikkola (77) skates against the Carolina Hurricanes during the second period at Lenovo Center. (James Guillory-Imagn Images)