Florida Panthers forward Brad Marchand's left leg injury will sideline him for only "a few weeks," according to The Associated Press.
Marchand, who didn't play in the team's first two games, appeared to hurt his leg in a 2-1 win over the Los Angeles Kings on Tuesday in the final game of the Panthers' season-opening four-game road trip.
Marchand 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.
The Panthers lost Marchand just five days after Aleksander Barkov, one of the top two-way centers in hockey, hurt his left leg in an overtime loss at San Jose on Thursday. Panthers coach Paul Maurice announced earlier this week that Barkov won't require surgery and is expected to be available again within six to eight weeks.
"I promise I'll be back in the Panthers' uniform very soon," Barkov said Thursday, speaking publicly for the first time since getting hurt.
In both cases, the Panthers seemed to dodge serious bullets. Florida won back-to-back Stanley Cup titles in 2024 and 2025, then missed the playoffs last season after a slew of players -- Barkov and Marchand among them -- were derailed by injuries.
And seeing Barkov limp off the ice one night, then Marchand needing assistance to get off the ice a few nights later, certainly brought back all the bad memories from a season ago.
"Last year was tough, so my first thought was, 'Do I have to go through that again? I just started playing, just starting to be with the team and did this happen again?'" Barkov said. "But then, obviously, really good news came pretty soon after that. Knowing I have a good team behind me -- doctors, physios -- they're going to take good care of me."
Barkov said he plans 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.
"I've received really good news," Barkov said. "Really happy about that."
The Panthers were relieved when initial testing on Barkov ruled out anything that would be season-ending, to the point that Maurice even said the team resumed making fun of Barkov, a reaction that was an excellent sign.
"They said I'm taking my annual vacation," Barkov said. "That's OK."
The Associated Press contributed to this report.