The latest Panthers injuries: A broken arm and barbecue burns

Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald on Nov 19, 2025

Published in Hockey

By clicking submit, I authorize Arcamax and its affiliates to: (1) use, sell, and share my information for marketing purposes, including cross-context behavioral advertising, as described in our Privacy Policy , (2) add to information that I provide with other information like interests inferred from web page views, or data lawfully obtained from data brokers, such as past purchase or location data, or publicly available data, (3) contact me or enable others to contact me by email or other means with offers for different types of goods and services, and (4) retain my information while I am engaging with marketing messages that I receive and for a reasonable amount of time thereafter. I understand I can opt out at any time through an email that I receive, or by clicking here

MIAMI — As if the Florida Panthers haven’t already been dealing with a slew of long-term injuries, now the defending back-to-back Stanley Cup champions have two more to deal with.

One came on the ice. One was off ice. Both freaky, fluky accidents.

Forward Cole Schwindt, who has been filling in as Florida’s fourth-line center with two fourth liners already sidelined, broke his right arm after colliding with goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky in the first period of Florida’s 8-5 win over the Vancouver Canucks on Monday. Panthers coach Paul Maurice said Schwindt will likely have surgery next week and be sidelined two-to-three months.

And then there’s the case of Eetu Luostarinen. The forward, who has played top-six forward minutes all season and has been an under-the-radar key piece to Florida’s success on both Stanley Cup teams, is listed as week-to-week after ... a barbecuing incident in which he sustained burns to his lower body after there was some malfunction to his gas grill.

Yes, you read that right.

“We list him as week-to-week because we don’t have a lot of experience with this,” Maurice said. “When he comes back, he will have to be comfortable putting the equipment back on. He was not in the hospital overnight, but he was seen by doctors.”

In any manner, that’s now seven Panthers players — including six forwards — who are out with extensive injuries.

Captain Aleksander Barkov likely out the entire regular season at minimum after undergoing surgery to repair the ACL and MCL in his right knee following an injury sustained at the start of training camp.

Star winger Matthew Tkachuk had surgery in August to repair a torn adductor muscle and sports hernia sustained during the 4 Nations Face-Off in February and played through during Florida’s postseason run to a second consecutive Stanley Cup. He could progress to the on-ice portion of his rehab as early as next week but likely will still be sidelined through at least mid-December in terms of game action.

Fellow forwards Tomas Nosek (knee) and Jonah Gadjoivch (upper body) plus defenseman Dmitry Kulikov (shoulder) are also all sidelined multiple months.

Now Schwindt and Luostarinen are added to that continuously growing list.

“When you came into camp, you had this expectation of being a powerful team on the ice,” Maurice said after practice Wednesday, ahead of Florida’s home game against the New Jersey Devils on Thursday. “The Nosek injury surprised us; the Matthew injury, we knew what that was so we dealt with that mentally. … We won’t be dominant in a lot of games because of the personnel we are missing, but we’re staying in it, and I think we’re getting better at some areas that maybe we weren’t great at. We have been forced to adapt our style of hockey to the players who are in.”

With Florida now short on forwards, the team recalled top prospect Jack Devine from the Charlotte Checkers, their American Hockey League affiliate. Devine, a seventh-round pick in 2022 and a two-time national champion at the University of Denver, led the Checkers with 12 points (six goals, six assists) before being recalled Tuesday. He will make his NHL debut on Thursday.

____