Dmitry Kulikov will be out five months for the Florida Panthers after undergoing surgery for an upper-body injury, coach Paul Maurice announced Wednesday.
The defenseman, who will turn 35 on Oct. 29, sustained the injury in Florida’s second game of the season, a 2-1 win against the Philadelphia Flyers on Oct. 9.
The Panthers were already without captain Aleksander Barkov (knee), who is expected to be out 7-9 months, and forward Matthew Tkachuk (torn adductor muscle), who isn’t expected to return until at least December. Fourth-line center Tomas Nosek is also out because of what general manager Bill Zito called a “long-term injury.”
Kulikov was replaced in the lineup by Uvis Balinskis against the Detroit Red Wings at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit on Wednesday. Defenseman Tobias Bjornfot was recalled from Charlotte of the American Hockey League on Sunday.
“Dmitry is like some of the other players that we have out of the lineup, he is unique in his role,” Maurice said. “Excellent penalty killer, physical player in the five, six (spot on defense), but he can skate and close gaps. So, that’s the hole.
“Uvis played, I believe, 74 games for us last year (76), so we’ll put in a veteran player who’s played here. So again, it’s the same concept. You don’t replace these guys that you have out of the lineup. The weight doesn’t get heavier. You just have fewer guys to lift, right? So, everybody shares it.
“We have full expectation of Uvis playing the game that he’s capable of playing. He doesn’t get any room not to. But that’s a positive for us. We think we’re putting a guy in who’s very capable.”
Kulikov had 13 points (four goals, nine assists) in 70 regular-season games and five points (two goals, three assists) in 23 Stanley Cup Playoff games last season, helping the Panthers win their second straight championship.
Selected by Florida in the first round (No. 14) of the 2009 NHL Draft, Kulikov has 247 points (50 goals, 197 assists) in 1,020 regular-season games with the Panthers, Buffalo Sabres, Winnipeg Jets, New Jersey Devils, Edmonton Oilers, Minnesota Wild, Anaheim Ducks and Pittsburgh Penguins. He also has 15 points (three goals, 12 assists) in 76 playoff games.
NHL.com columnist Nicholas J. Cotsonika contributed to this report
Source link
