The Florida Panthers are expecting forward Brad Marchand to miss about six weeks with his left leg injury, coach Paul Maurice told reporters Friday.
The timeline coincides closely to that of Aleksander Barkov, as Maurice announced earlier this week that Barkov won't require surgery on his left leg injury and is expected to be available again within six to eight weeks.
Marchand, who didn't play in the team's first two games, suffered his injury during a 2-1 win over the Los Angeles Kings on Tuesday as the Panthers wrapped up a season-opening four-game road trip.
He was hurt after taking a stick to the face from Kings defenseman Brandt Clarke with 52.6 seconds remaining, causing him to twist around and collide with the right post before his left leg bent back in awkwardly.
Marchand was down on the ice for several minutes being examined by an athletic trainer before teammates Brady Tkachuk and Niko Mikkola helped him to the bench, with Marchand unable to put weight on his leg. He was then helped back to the dressing room.
Florida won back-to-back Stanley Cup titles in 2024 and 2025 but missed the playoffs last season after a slew of players -- Barkov and Marchand among them -- were derailed by injuries.
On Thursday, Barkov called his diagnosis "really good news" and said he planned to meet with the Panthers as early as Friday to develop a concise return-to-play plan, including setting a target for when he can resume skating.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
