FORT LAUDERDALE – Jonah Gadjovich will get a chance to start fresh next season.
Injured in a 3-0 win over the Vegas Golden Knights on Oct. 25, the Florida Panthers forward underwent surgery on his neck in November.
Despite returning to practice in January, he was unable to get back to 100% before Game 82.
“He was pretty close a couple times and then would have a setback,” Panthers President of Hockey Operations & General Manager Bill Zito said during the team’s end-of-season media availability at Baptist Health IcePlex on Thursday. “Through it all, he’s been a wonderful teammate.”
In 10 games prior to his injury, Gadjovich, a key piece of last summer’s run to a second straight Stanley Cup, had recorded three assists and 30 hits.
A spark plug on the fourth line, the 27-year-old veteran logged three points (2G, 1A), 63 hits and 11 blocked shots in 16 games during last year’s playoffs.
“He’s just such a good guy,” Zito said. “He really battled.”
With the Panthers having more than 450 man games lost due to injury, Gadjovich is one of many players that should benefit from an extended summer.
A veteran of 170 games, Gadjovich inked a two-year contract extension back in October that will kick in at the start of the 2026-27 campaign.
“I’m proud of him for making sure that he’s right,” Zito said.
