The Florida Panthers are facing another long stretch without captain Aleksander Barkov, but head coach Paul Maurice hinted reinforcements could arrive soon to make up for his absence.
Florida placed Barkov on long-term injured reserve (LTIR) Saturday after he injured his left leg against the San Jose Sharks.
After sharing the Barkov news, Maurice revealed that veteran winger Brad Marchand is nearing clearance to return from the injury that required surgery in August.
“The doctors have to sign off on it,” Maurice said. “The trainers have to sign off, and then [Marchand] has to. I think they’re all close to signing off. Then, the coach has to find a way to squeeze him back into the lineup.”
Maurice had previously said Marchand would miss October while recovering, although he left open the possibility of an earlier return.
“He’s going to take the month of October for rehab,” Maurice said on Sept. 17. “That may be he’s ready to play right at the end of it, and maybe he needs a short period of time, assuming no setbacks.”
Marchand has now practiced with Florida on consecutive days after avoiding LTIR, meaning the Panthers can bring him back into the lineup immediately once he’s cleared to play.
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Marchand underwent surgery in August to address the recurring injury after the Panthers managed it during last season. Barkov, meanwhile, is guaranteed to miss at least 10 games and 24 days due to his LTIR placement.
“Barky’s going to see our doctors on Monday,” Maurice said. “We put him on LTIR knowing it was going to be 10 [games] anyway. We’ll see what they say on Monday. … I’m not the doctor here, so whatever they say.”
Florida continues its California road trip Sunday against the Anaheim Ducks at 8 p.m.
