Florida Panthers defenseman Dmitry Kulikov is the latest member of the two-time defending Stanley Cup champions to suffer a long-term injury.
Panthers coach Paul Maurice said Wednesday that Kulikov will be out for five months after having shoulder surgery to repair a labrum tear that he sustained in their 2-1 win over the Flyers last Thursday in just their second game of the season.
The loss of Kulikov for five months is the latest in a long list of injuries for the Panthers in their bid to become the first team to win three straight titles since the New York Islanders won four in a row from 1980 to 1983. Since then, there have been six instances in which teams have won consecutive Stanley Cups but failed to win a third straight.
That list includes captain and star center Aleksander Barkov, who will be out seven to nine months with a knee injury. Then there's star forward Matthew Tkachuk, who is out until at least December with a torn adductor muscle, while bottom-six forward Tomas Nosek is out with a long-term injury.
The earliest Kulikov could return to the Panthers lineup would be mid-March should the timeline with his prognosis hold.
Kulikov, who was drafted by the Panthers in 2009, came back to the club for a second stint at the start of the 2023-24 season. He had 20 points in 76 games while averaging more than 16 minutes per contest en route to helping the club win the first championship in its history. Last season saw him have 13 points in 70 games while averaging more than 19 minutes in a campaign that saw them win a second straight title.
Ever since he returned, Kulikov ranks third on the Panthers in short-handed minutes and is fourth in terms of total 5-on-5 minutes played going back to the 2023-24 season, according to Natural Stat Trick.
Overall, the Panthers still have their top-four defensive group in place with Aaron Ekblad and Gustav Forsling on the top pairing with Seth Jones and Niko Mikkola are on the second pairing while Uvis Balinskis and Jeff Petry are expected to be their third-pairing option.