The Florida Panthers will be without one of their top defensive forwards, Eetu Luostarinen, on a week-to-week basis after he suffered a unique off-the-ice injury.
According to team reporter Jameson Olive, head coach Paul Maurice announced that Luostarinen recently suffered burns during “a barbecue accident.” Luostarinen’s burns weren’t severe enough to require an overnight hospital stay, but the Finnish forward’s return date is unknown until he feels comfortable enough to put his gear back on.
Eetu Luostarinen is week to week after suffering burns during a barbecue accident, per head coach Paul Maurice.
— Jameson Olive (@JamesonCoop) November 19, 2025
Luostarinen, a key part of Florida’s back-to-back Stanley Cup champion teams, has 10 points (3g, 7a) in 18 games this season. His importance in the club’s lineup has only grown with the Panthers without stars Matthew Tkachuk and Aleksander Barkov for much of, or in Barkov’s case, the entirety of the 2025-26 campaign.
Luostarinen last played for the Panthers on Saturday against the Tampa Bay Lightning. He has seven points (2g, 5a) in his last seven games, including a three-point effort (1g, 2a) in a 6-3 win over the Washington Capitals last Thursday.
The Panthers were already dealing with several other injuries before revealing Luostarinen’s status. Outside of Tkachuk and Barkov, forward Tomas Nosek and defenseman Dmitry Kulikov are also currently on long-term injured reserve, and forward Jonah Gadjovich is on regular injured reserve.
They’ll likely be soon joined by Cole Schwindt, who will require surgery on a broken arm and be out for the next 2-3 months.
2-3 month recovery timetable for Schwindt, per Maurice
— Jameson Olive (@JamesonCoop) November 19, 2025
Luostarinen’s bizarre injury comes just days after the New Jersey Devils announced that superstar center Jack Hughes is to miss the next eight weeks after undergoing surgery to repair a finger cut suffered at a team dinner.