The Florida Panthers battled injuries throughout this season and will go into Thursday’s game in Ottawa with 11 of their regulars out of their lineup. One of the biggest names on Florida’s injured list is Brad Marchand.

He certainly does not want to be there.

Coach Paul Maurice said Marchand gave the Panthers everything he could this season, playing through the pain of past groin, hip, and sports hernia injuries until the team shut him down in March.

“Through Jan. 1, we were a point out,’’ Maurice said, “and that, for me, was a great accomplishment. And [Marchand] was leading our team in scoring at that point. The big goal, big-game guy.

“But he wasn’t healthy. He played a lot of nights here for us where he wasn’t at 100 percent. He played for us as long as he could.’’

Marchand, for his perseverance this season as well as throughout his career, was named Florida’s nominee for the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy on Wednesday.

The trophy is awarded annually to the NHL player who ‘best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to hockey.’

It is voted on by the Professional Hockey Writers’ Association, with each team chapter nominating a player. Jaromir Jagr was the only active Florida player to win the Masterton in 2016.

”It’s a huge honor any time people put you up for something like this,’’ Marchand said. “It also means a lot just to see the hard work and perseverance be recognized. Just shed some light on the ups and downs you face throughout your career. I’m honored and flattered. It’s appreciated.’’

Marchand, 37, joined the Panthers last March when Florida pulled off a blockbuster deal to bring the Boston Bruins captain to Sunrise.

Although he was injured when he came to the Panthers, Marchand played his way into shape before the playoffs where he excelled. Playing on a line with Anton Lundell and Eetu Luostarinen, Marchand had a postseason to remember with 10 goals and 20 points in 23 games.

Three of those goals were game-winners and Marchand ended up being a finalist for the Conn Smythe Trophy that Sam Bennett won after the Panthers claimed the Stanley Cup for the second straight year.

Marchand first won the Stanley Cup with the Bruins in 2011.

During this past playoff run, Marchand became one of the leaders of the Panthers and few will forget his taste for Dairy Queen during the postseason.

But this season, things were not as rosy.

The Panthers knew Matthew Tkachuk was going to be out a while after playing through injury last year, but the loss of captain Sasha Barkov was a tough one to recover from. More players would join Barkov and Tkachuk on the injured list, capped by Seth Jones at the Winter Classic in Miami on Jan. 2.

Like Maurice said, the Panthers were a point out of the playoffs going into that game at Marlins Park — and things were never the same.

Yet Marchand kept plugging away. His injuries cost him some games leading up to the Olympics where he finally got to play for Team Canada.

When Marchand came back, he scored two goals in Florida’s return against the Maple Leafs — but you could see he was laboring. Those were the final goals he would score this season.

“It was tough, because we had such high hopes coming into the year,’’ said Marchand, who signed a six-year contract with the Panthers last summer instead of becoming a free agent.

“We know we’re an incredibly deep team, and that we were a contending team. We knew belonged at the top of the league to compete for the playoffs and the Cup. At Day 1 at camp, a huge piece went down. In the summer, Chucky and Nosek had big surgeries. It slowly started to get harder and harder. …

“It’s hard to go to one Cup Final, much less three. And then to win two Cups in a row, there’s a fatigue level in trying to get up for games night in, and night out.’’

Maurice said that Marchand will not need surgery for his injuries, telling FHN that the hope is that after a few more weeks that he will be able to return to full training.

The Panthers expect to be 100 percent healthy when training camp rolls around in September.

Although Florida will not be in the playoffs this year, the long summer may just do them some good.

And, this team should challenge for the big trophy again next June.

FHN Publisher George Richards is a past chapter chair of the Florida PHWA but is no longer a member due to work with NHL.com.

ON DECK: GAME No. 79

FLORIDA PANTHERS at OTTAWA SENATORS