Dmitry Kulikov suffered the shoulder injury in a recent victory against the Flyers. (Peter Joneleit/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Florida Panthers defenseman Dmitry Kulikov will miss five months while recovering from surgery to repair a labral tear, coach Paul Maurice told reporters Wednesday.
Kulikov was injured last week in a 2-1 home victory over the Philadelphia Flyers in Sunrise, Fla. He did not return after an attempted check of the Flyers’ Bobby Brink resulted in Kulikov leaving the ice clutching his right arm near the midpoint of the second period.
The Panthers, who have won back-to-back Stanley Cup championships, placed Kulikov on injured reserve over the weekend. He underwent surgery on Wednesday morning, Maurice said after the Panthers’ morning skate at Detroit’s Little Ceasars Arena.
An update on Kuli ⤵️
— Florida Panthers (@FlaPanthers) October 15, 2025
Missing five months would put Kulikov in line to return in March 2026, before the Stanley Cup playoffs. By then, the Panthers also expect to have welcomed back winger Matthew Tkachuk, who is out until at least December while recovering from surgeries to repair injuries sustained in the 4 Nations Face-Off last February.
Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov is out for seven to nine months after surgery to repair a torn right MCL and ACL. He was injured in a non-contact incident early in Florida’s training camp last month.
The Panthers had yet to designate Barkov for full-year long-term injury status, a move that would provide the relief of his $10 million salary-cap hit during the regular season. Under the NHL and NHLPA’s new CBA, Barkov would be ineligible to play until next season if the Panthers made him a full-year LTIR designee.
Barkov has yet to be officially ruled out for the playoffs by the Panthers, who are seeking to reach the Stanley Cup Final for a fourth consecutive year and trying to become the first NHL franchise since the New York Islanders in the early 1980s to win three consecutive championships.
Oct 15, 2025
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