Brad Marchand looks poised to rejoin the Florida Panthers far earlier than the October timeline that was laid out at training camp.
On Saturday, coach Paul Maurice said the veteran forward is “real close to coming back’’ after skating again with the team. Because Marchand never went on LTIR, Florida can activate him and put him back in the lineup right away once the medical side and Marchand himself are all in agreement.
”The doctors have to sign off on it,’’ Maurice said. “The trainers have to sign off, and then [Marchand] has to. I think they’re all close to signing off.
”Then, the coach has to find a way to squeeze him back into the lineup.’’
That part appears manageable. Right now, rookie Sandis Vilmanis has taken Marchand’s place on the third line alongside Anton Lundell and Eetu Luostarinen. If Marchand is cleared, he could simply slide back into that spot, with Vilmanis moving down to the fourth line.
Maurice had already hinted at the possibility of an earlier return when he said on the first day of training camp that Marchand would miss the entire month of October, though he could be ready before the month ended. That now seems to be the direction this is heading.
Marchand underwent surgery in August to address a recurring injury that has bothered him for several years. During his time with the Boston Bruins, he previously had hip and sports hernia surgeries. He said the injury got worse in December, and the Panthers tried to manage it from January on before he was shut down for good at the NHL Trade Deadline.
Marchand initially hoped to play through it without surgery, but opted to have the procedure before the season. He was skating with the Panthers during their informal skates shortly after and has continued working on his own and with Jonah Gadjovich during camp.
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