Brad Marchand’s first road trip of the season took a bad turn Tuesday night, and the Panthers are now waiting on an update after the former Bruins captain appeared to suffer a significant left leg injury against the Kings.
The injury happened late in the second period of a 1-1 game in Southern California. Marchand drove toward the net and crashed into the right post, and his left leg bent awkwardly on impact.
He immediately went down in pain and needed help from two teammates to get off the ice, with no pressure on that left leg. He was also seen holding his knee right after the play.
There was no postgame update from Florida, and the club is headed home after wrapping up its trip in Los Angeles. The Panthers are set to open the home portion of their schedule Saturday night against the Minnesota Wild, and an official status update likely won’t come until sometime in the next couple of days from the team or head coach Paul Maurice.
Marchand missed training camp after surgery, but he returned for Florida’s season-opening four-game road trip, including three games out West. This was the final game of that swing, and it ended with concern for a player already dealing with injury issues during his short time with the Panthers.
In two games this season, Marchand has one goal. Last season, he scored 27 goals with 27 assists in 52 games for Florida in 2025-26.
The Panthers, who missed the playoffs last season and spent the offseason adding depth, may need it sooner rather than later. They also lost Aleksander Barkov on the trip against the San Jose Sharks, and he is expected to be out six to eight weeks.
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