Florida Panthers could get Marchand and Barkov sooner than expected

The prognosis on Brad Marchand’s leg injury is about as favorable as possible for the Florida Panthers forward, considering the dire initial fears.

Panthers coach Paul Maurice said Friday that Marchand should be back in action in six weeks, begin skating within three weeks.

That would put the veteran forward on a similar timeline as star center Sasha Barkov, who is expected to be out six to eight weeks with an injury to his left leg. That projects to a potential return for both players in late November.

It is a major relief to the team and fans that the Panthers dodged worst-case concerns with both key players, and that neither will require surgery.

Marchand injured his left leg in the second period Tuesday at Los Angeles after taking a stick to the face from Kings defenseman Brandt Clarke. The contact caused Marchand to turn and collide with the goal post while his left leg bent at an awkward angle.

He ended up on the ice clutching his left knee and had to be helped off by two teammates, prompting fears of a potential season-ending knee injury.

There were similar concerns for Barkov after he went down awkwardly in the second game of the season at San Jose.

Lars Eller to center Panthers’ top line

Marchand, who had surgery for a lower-body injury during the offseason, missed the first two games before taking Barkov’s place on the Panthers’ top line, with Sam Reinhart moving to center. Marchand scored a goal on a 6-on-5 with the net empty in the final minutes at Anaheim that earned a point for the Panthers in an overtime loss to the Ducks.

After an arduous four-game trip to start the season, the Panthers returned to practice Friday in preparation for their home opener Saturday, 6 p.m. against the Minnesota Wild.

Veteran Lars Eller was at center with Reinhart and Brady Tkachuk on the wings. Maurice said that would be the initial plan for the top line, which has not recorded a point in four games.

Rookie Sam Lafferty was skating in Eller’s place at center on the fourth line.

“You’re able to keep a couple of your lines the same,” Maurice said in his media session after practice. “Sam Lafferty comes in; we do want to see him at center. We want to see Lars Eller up the lineup.

“I really like Sam Reinhart in the middle because it looked like that's all he's ever played. But because we already know what that looks like, the other option is ... Eller on the wing or Lafferty on the wing with [Reinhart]. So, I'm sure we're going to get an opportunity over the next six weeks to discover all of it. But I like where we started.”

Barkov aims to return soon after fearing the worst

Maurice has been effusive in praise of Eller, who is in his 18th season in the NHL but his first with Florida. Eller is tied for the team lead with three points, earning assists in the past three games.

“He's such an accomplished pro, that I think he can play any position and understand the role and what it needs,” Maurice said. “When he's playing [on the fourth line], he's running the routes he's supposed to run that that line has to play to be successful, and then he can adapt his game to power play time he'll get. ... He’s a good veteran pro.”

Meanwhile, Barkov received the key to the city of Boca Raton on Thursday, and was upbeat about his recovery from this latest injury. The Panthers captain missed all of last season following surgery on his right knee, and initially thought, “not again.”

“I’m very confident I’ll be back as soon as possible,” Barkov said after the presentation by Boca Raton Mayor Andy Thomson. “Obviously it’s not the thing you want to have, especially after what I went through last year. But I’m trying to stay positive, and the team is doing really well; it was a good road trip. So, I’m really happy and can’t wait to get started to rehab it.”

All things considered, the Panthers have reason to be happy about the prospect of getting two of their most important players back sooner than feared.

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