Florida Panthers’ defensemen work to put injury-plagued season behind them

By the time the Florida Panthers’ season of pain mercifully ended, they were virtually defenseless.

Gustav Forsling was the only defenseman from the opener who was still skating by the time the injury-plagued 2025-26 campaign concluded.

When the Panthers began training camp this week in Fort Lauderdale, it was gratifying for coach Paul Maurice to welcome back a healthy corps of defensemen. Their importance was one of the points he stressed in his first media session.

“You're winning on those guys,” Maurice said. “Everybody’s got a version of a [Sasha Barkov], right? They've got their elite player, and certainly when you get to the top eight, that's true. It’s the defensemen that are going to decide whether you’re a winner or a loser, and who stops the other team.”

With the departure of veteran goalie Sergei Bobrovsky and backup Daniil Tarasov, it will be imperative for the defenders to help fill the void and support the replacement duo of Jacob Markstrom and Akira Schmid.

The blue-liners assembled at the IcePlex have pedigree, experience, physicality and tenacity.

What they lacked last season was availability.

The avalanche of injuries began in the second game when Dmitry Kulikov suffered a right shoulder labrum tear, which required surgery and kept him out five months (57 games). Kulikov returned and missed two games with a broken nose from taking a puck to the face.

Kulikov’s season ended when he broke a finger with four games remaining. The same game against Montreal, Seth Jones fractured a foot. It was Jones’ second debilitating injury, which cost him 30 games.

Jones, a versatile, top-four defenseman, had just been named to Team USA’s roster for the Winter Olympics in Milan when that dream was shattered by a deflected puck that struck his collarbone during the Winter Classic on Jan. 2.

The extraordinary run of season-ending injuries included Aaron Ekblad (broken finger), Jones’ backline partner Niko Mikkola (knee), and Uvis Balinskis (foot).

Jones spent the offseason rehabbing in South Florida. In the early days of camp, he appeared none the worse for wear and ready to resume his role as an all-situation workhorse for the Panthers, who play host to the Stanley Cup champion Carolina Hurricanes in the preseason opener, 7 p.m. Sunday at Amerant Bank Arena.

The compressed preseason has the Panthers playing four games this week – home-and-home against Carolina and Tampa Bay. They open the regular season Sept. 29 at Carolina when the Hurricanes raise their championship banner.

“The 29th is going to creep up fast,” Jones said this week. “And the games we’re playing, you know, we play against Carolina first game. It's going to be a playoff-type game. So, we need to be battle-ready first game.”

An unwelcome blessing

The upside of missing the playoffs for the first time in five years was an extended offseason for healing.

In addition to the injured defensemen returning to health, the Panthers added veterans Radko Gudas and Alexander Pretrovic, both of whom had previous stints with Florida.

“We had some time to work on our bodies and get in really good shape.,” Ekblad said. “You can see it up and down the lineup. Everybody looks and feels good, and there’s an excitement in the room for sure.”

Training camp and the preseason schedule were shortened by the new NHL collective bargaining agreement. But Panthers players held their own unofficial practices for several weeks before camp.

Maurice indicated he will give veterans work in the first two preseason games. That will provide an opportunity to assess special teams before key players turn attention to preparations for the season opener.

It remains to be seen whether Ekblad or Jones will get the spot on the No. 1 power play unit.

But Jones said focus among the D-men is foremost on keeping the puck out of their own net.

“We all take pride in the defensive side of the puck, I think, which is very important. We don’t have a guy that’s just straight offense and wants to get points. ... I think that’s important for the defense to contribute offensively. But as a pair and as individuals, we all want to see each other succeed defensively, and help the team in that way.”

Apr 5, 2026; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; New Jersey Devils goalie Jacob Markstrom (25) looks on during warm-up before the game against the Montreal Canadiens at Bell Centre. Mandatory Credit: David Kirouac-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

New men in the net

As for adjusting to goalies Markstrom and Schmid, “I think communication is the biggest thing,” Jones said, “whether it’s puck touches, the goalie stops behind the net, knowing kind of where to be, the timing on those things...

“And then, you know, we obviously have full trust in [Markstrom and Schmid]. They’ve been great goalies in this league, and they can make big saves, so we’re going to have to lean on them as well. But we’ll do whatever it takes to kind of limit those scoring chances when necessary.”

That’s when having veterans with experience playing together is essential. The Panthers have that with the likely pairings of Forsling-Ekblad, Jones-Mikkola and Kulikov-Gudas.

The primary concern with this group is keeping them on the ice.

The road prior to the season

Florida panthers preseason schedule:

Sept. 20 vs. Carolina at Amerant Bank Arena, 7 p.m.

Sept. 22 at Carolina, 7 p.m.

Sept. 24 at Tampa Bay, 7 p.m.

Sept. 26 vs. Tampa Bay at Amerant Bank Arena, 6 p.m.

TV: South Florida Scripps stations will broadcast all four of the Panthers preseason contests.

Regular-season opener: Sept. 29 at Carolina Hurricanes, 5 p.m., ESPN

Panthers home opener: Oct. 10, Minnesota Wild, 6 p.m., Scripps

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