Bjornfot has been recalled from Charlotte (AHL).
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Florida Panthers News
Florida has signed Jonah Gajovich to a two-year contract extension worth $905,000 AAV. ($1.81M toal).
Goalie Start
Markstrom will start in Tampa Bay on Saturday.
Line Change
Lafferty is expected to draw back into Chicago's lineup on Saturday vs. Montreal.
Goalie Start
Markstrom is in the starter's crease at New Jersey's morning skate.
Line Change
Balinskis will make his season debut on Saturday vs. Ottawa.
Kulikov (undisclosed) has been placed on IR.
Kulikov (undisclosed) left Thursday's game and is without an update.
Kulikov was limited to only 7:47 time-on-ice before exiting Thursday's contest against the Philadelphia Flyers. His status is uncertain for Saturday's contest against the Ottawa Senators.
Goalie Start
Schmid will start in San Jose on Thursday.
On the tail end of a back-to-back, a night after a season-opening 6-5 shootout loss to the Los Angeles Kings, the Golden Knights will turn to Schmid between the pipes on Thursday against the San Jose Sharks. Schmid spent most of the 2024-25 season with the Henderson Silver Knights (AHL), but was excellent in limited NHL action with the Golden Knights, posting a 1.26 GAA and .944 SV% in five appearances (2-0-1). If the 25-year-old Schmid can put together some strong performances early, he could be in line for topping his career-high of 19 games played in a season. The Golden Knights enter Thursday's contest as -194 road favorites against a Sharks team that finished last season with the worst record in the NHL (20-50-12).
Goalie Start
Markstrom will start New Jersey's season opener in Carolina on Thursday.
The Devils will likely turn to Markstrom between the pipes on Thursday in their season-opening matchup against the Carolina Hurricanes. The 35-year-old Markstrom had a solid, albeit unspectacular, first season with the Devils in 2024-25, posting a 2.50 GAA, .900 SV%, and four shutouts in 49 games (26-16-6). The Devils enter Thursday's contest as +150 road underdogs against a Hurricanes team that is widely believed to be a top Stanley Cup contender.
Goalie Start
Schmid is expected to start in San Jose on Thursday.
On the tail end of a back-to-back, a night after a season-opening 6-5 shootout loss to the Los Angeles Kings, the Golden Knights will turn to Schmid between the pipes on Thursday against the San Jose Sharks. Schmid spent most of the 2024-25 season with the Henderson Silver Knights (AHL), but was excellent in limited NHL action with the Golden Knights, posting a 1.26 GAA and .944 SV% in five appearances (2-0-1). If the 25-year-old Schmid can put together some strong performances early, he could be in line for topping his career-high of 19 games played in a season. The Golden Knights enter Thursday's contest as -194 road favorites against a Sharks team that finished last season with the worst record in the NHL (20-50-12).
Reinhart (upper-body) is fine after missing Wednesday's practice.
Reinhart was absent from practice on Wednesday after receiving stitches, but the injury does not seem overly concerning, as he was able to complete Tuesday's contest against the Chicago Blackhawks. The 29-year-old Reinhart was held off the scoresheet on Tuesday but will be relied upon heavily for offence in Florida this season. He had 81 points (39G / 42A) in 79 games last season.
Reinhart took a puck high on Tuesday and is not participating in the Panthers' practice on Wednesday.
Reinhart was absent from practice on Wednesday after receiving stitches, but the injury does not seem overly concerning, as he was able to complete Tuesday's contest against the Chicago Blackhawks. The 29-year-old Reinhart was held off the scoresheet on Tuesday but will be relied upon heavily for offence in Florida this season. He had 81 points (39G / 42A) in 79 games last season.
Lundell (upper-body) is "good to go" for the season opener.
Lundell suffered an upper-body injury in the Panthers' preseason game last Thursday, but will be in the lineup for the opener vs. Chicago. Lundell is poised for a breakout season as he tries to help fill the shoes of Aleksander Barkov, who is expected to miss the entire season. Lundell will open the season on a line with Eetu Luostarinen and Sam Reinhart and PP2.
Ekblad (undisclosed) is "good to go" for the Panthers' season opener.
Ekblad was hurt in Saturday's preseason finale, but head coach Paul Maurice said that he'll be in the lineup on opening night vs. Chicago. Ekblad will open the season on the top pair with Gustav Forsling and the top power-play unit in a two-defensemen look alongside Seth Jones.
Waiver Move
Florida has claimed Cole Schwindt from Vegas off waivers.
With several lingering and long-term injuries, the Panthers added some offensive depth by claiming Cole Schwindt off of waivers from the Vegas Golden Knights. The 24-year-old Schwindt played a career-high 42 games and scored eight points (1G / 7A) with the Golden Knights last season.
Lundell is day-to-day with an upper-body injury.
The Panthers, already battling several key injuries, received promising news on Friday, announcing that Lundell is day-to-day and his upper-body injury will not keep him out of the lineup long-term. With Aleksander Barkov (knee) out for most, if not all of the season, Lundell is slated for an increased role and uptick in ice time in the 2025-26 season. The 24-year-old Lundell had a career-high 45 points (17G / 28A) in 79 games last season.
Lundell (upper-body) left Thursday’s preseason game and will be reevaluated on Friday.
The Panthers can ill-afford any more injuries and will hope that Lundell is no worse for wear after being reevaluated on Friday. With Aleksander Barkov (knee) out for the long term, Lundell is slated for an increased role and uptick in ice time in the 2025-26 season. The 24-year-old Lundell had a career-high 45 points (17G / 28A) in 79 games last season.
The Panthers have signed Niko Mikkola to an eight-year extension worth $5.0M AAV ($40M total).
The Panthers have orchestrated another long-term extension to a member of their core, inking Mikkola to an additional eight-years worth $40 million total ($5M AAV). The 29-year-old Mikkola played a career-high 20:12 time-on-ice last season and scored 22 points (6G / 16A) in 76 games.
Barkov underwent surgery to repair ACL and MCL injuries and will miss 7-to-9 months.
Barkov suffered injuries to his ACL and MCL in Thursday's practice and underwent surgery on Friday. According to the team, the expected recovery timeline for these injuries is 7-to-9 months, meaning he will be sidelined until at least late April. In other words, Barkov is expected to miss the entire regular season and won't be ready until Round 1 of the playoffs, at the earliest.
