FORT LAUDERDALE – It looks like a few more returns are on the horizon.
The Florida Panthers resumed practice Saturday after a break for the Winter Olympics, with defenseman Dmitry Kulikov and forward Tomas Nosek both taking the ice in the main group.
Nosek has yet to play in a game this season after undergoing offseason surgery to repair a lower-body injury, while Kulikov was sidelined with an upper-body injury in the second game of the season on Oct. 9.
Both players practiced wearing yellow no-contact jerseys.
“It’s good to see them making progress with their rehab,” teammate Evan Rodriguez said after practice at the Baptist Health Iceplex. “Two big parts of our team are back and hopefully we can see them in action in some games in the near future.”
That return could be sooner rather than later.
Asked about the schedule, head coach Paul Maurice said Kulikov, Nosek and forward Jonah Gajovic, who has been out since Oct. 25 with an upper-body injury, could return during Florida State’s first post-hiatus trip starting March 1.
“They’ll probably be non-contact this week and then they might be released for contact in and around the Toronto game (Feb. 26 home), so they won’t be able to participate in those games,” Morris said. “But if they can get through this week, there’s a chance they’ll be back at some point on the road trip. We just don’t know the answer for a lot of them. They’ve been off for a very long time. We need to get them to a certain level of confidence before (they come back).”
A staple on the penalty kill, Kulikov has 247 points (50 G, 197 A) in 1,020 career NHL games, while Nosek, a faceoff specialist, played in 59 regular-season games for the Panthers last season and 16 more during the playoffs as the team en route to its second consecutive Stanley Cup title.
Before his injury this season, Gajovic had three assists in 10 games.
In addition to these three players, there was even more encouraging news.
Although he did not play in the last game before the hiatus against the Tampa Bay Lightning, defenseman Aaron Ekwald, forward Brad Marchado (unless something happens in Sunday’s gold medal game against the United States) and Rodriguez are all expected to be ready to play after the hiatus.
Tobias Bjornfot and goaltender Daniil Taraosov are also good players.
Tarasov, who had an 8-8-2 record with a 2.83 goals-against average and .899 save percentage, left the game before the break against the Lightning in the third period with a lower-body injury.
“Tully’s fine,” Maurice said. “He got tested a few days ago. He was doing pretty well.”
As for players who are further away from returning based on Maurice’s latest update, captain Aleksander Barkov and Seth Jones skated before Saturday’s practice.
Barkov, who underwent surgery in September to repair a torn anterior cruciate ligament and MCL in his right knee, has yet to play this season, while Jones, who was having a great season on the blue line, suffered an upper-body injury during the 2026 Winter Classic on Jan. 2.
The Panthers, who face an eight-point deficit with 25 games left in their bid to qualify for the playoffs, will return from hiatus to play back-to-back games against divisional foes.
After taking on the Toronto Maple Leafs on Thursday at 7pm ET, they will return to Amerant Bank Arena less than 24 hours later to take on the Buffalo Sabers on Friday at 7pm ET.
“We have to be ready,” forward Luke Kunin said.
Click here for tickets.
