Florida Panthers general manager Bill Zito said on Wednesday that he expects veteran forward Brad Marchand back in the lineup early in the season after having off-season surgery.
Zito added that they are taking a conservative approach with Marchand’s recovery.
Marchand confirmed on social media Aug. 15 that he recently underwent surgery and was unable to play in former Boston Bruins teammate Zdeno Chara’s charity hockey game in Slovakia.
Florida Hockey Now’s George Richards previously reported that Marchand was dealing with a hip and sports hernia injury.
The 38-year-old played through the injury for much of the 2025-26 campaign. He skated in 52 regular-season games for the Panthers last season, scoring 27 goals with 54 points but Florida missed the postseason.
He also participated in Milano Cortina 2026 with Team Canada but was limited with the injury, notching just one assist in four games as Canada earned silver.
The Halifax native is entering the second season of a six-year, $31.05 million contract he signed on July 1, 2025 to stay with Florida after being acquired at the trade deadline.
Marchand has skated in 1,1,52 career NHL games, scoring 451 goals with 1,034 points, split between the Bruins and Panthers. He helped Boston win the Stanley Cup in 2011 and was a part of the Florida team that won their second of back-to-back titles in 2025.
