Florida Panthers Defenseman Likely to Undergo Surgery Per Paul Maurice
Photo credit: New Jersey Hockey Now
Panthers head coach Paul Maurice has had to give an update on yet another injured Florida player, and this time it's defenseman Dmitry Kulikov, who may very well need to undergo surgery.
The defending Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers are now starting their 2nd straight year of title defense, but they're having to do so while severely shorthanded. And now, yet another name has been added to their list of walking wounded.
Defenseman Dmitry Kulikov has been placed on Injured Reserve and per the latest report from head coach Paul Maurice, he may need surgery.
Paul Maurice said Dmitry Kulikov could need surgery - that will be decided perhaps as early as tonight.
Kulikov was hurt on Thursday against the Philadelphia Flyers and appeared to be favouring his wrist after he tried to hit Bobby Brink.
It's just the latest injury for the Panthers, who are already missing Matthew Tkachuk for the 1st several months of the new year as well as captain Aleksander Barkov, who could miss the entire year with an ACL/MCL injury.
Kulikov is in his 2nd tenure with the Panthers, who took him with the 14th overall pick in the 2014 NHL Entry Draft. He's also played for the Buffalo Sabres, Winnipeg Jets, New Jersey Devils, Edmonton Oilers, Anaheim Ducks, Minnesota Wild and Pittsburgh Penguins.
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Both Tkachuk and Barkov are out long term, and even though Tkachuk is expected to return potentially before the Olympic break, Barkov could potentially miss the entire year.
If Kulikov undergoes surgery, he could be forced to miss multiple months. Additionally, the Panthers are also without forward Tomas Nosek and defenseman Jeff Petry.
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