NOTEBOOK: New Injury Updates; Florida's Hit King

CORAL SPRINGS, Fla. -- It's always a good sign when the ice gets a bit crowded.
With two games left until the All-Star break, the Florida Panthers had several previously injured players go through the entirety of Thursday's practice at the Panthers IceDen as full participants.

Sam Bennett, who sat out Tuesday's overtime loss in Pittsburgh with a lower-body injury, was back in his regular spot centering Carter Verhaeghe and Matthew Tkachuk on the second line, while Eric Staal, who has been in concussion protocol since Jan. 19, was centering the fourth.
Looking ahead to Friday's important matchup against Los Angeles at FLA Live Arena, head coach Paul Maurice said he expects both Bennett and Staal "to be available" against the Kings.
Aleksander Barkov did not practice, but sat out simply for routine maintenance.
With third-string goaltender Alex Lyon starting each of the last four games, the Panthers also had both Sergei Bobrovsky and Spencer Knight back on the ice. Bobrovsky has been out since Jan. 19 due to a lower-body injury, while Knight hasn't played a game in the NHL since Jan. 8.
Not totally rusty, Knight did make rehab starts in the AHL on Jan. 21 and Jan. 22.
When asked about the outlook of the goaltending situation, Maurice said that he was pleased with how all three players looked during practice -- a session that was specifically designed to get them involved early and often -- but a decision on Friday's starter hasn't been made just yet.
Bobrovsky owns a 12-13-2 record with a .897 save percentage this season, while Knight has gone 9-7-3 with a .906 save percentage. In four appearances since being called up from the AHL on Jan. 10, Lyon has held down the fort nicely while going 2-1-1.
"We've got three goalies on the ice," Maurice said. "The medical group is watching them and assessing where they're all at. They got through the day, but we'll wait until tomorrow morning before we get a feel for where they're at. How they come back the next day is important."
Last but certainly not least, Anthony Duclair took another big step on his road to recovery.
Yet to suit up this season after undergoing successful surgery to repair an Achilles tendon injury back in July, Duclair, who scored a career-high 31 goals in 2021-22, went through the entirety of practice with the Panthers wearing both a big smile on his face and a yellow no-contact jersey.
As of right now, Duclair is projected to return to the lineup following the All-Star break.
"Everybody's really sensitive about these Achillies [injuries] right now," Maurice said of Duclair's timeline. "He's had a long process. He's worked hard. He's been up and down the ice. The next thing after the break will be a little bit of grind, but I'm hopeful that it's early after the break."
For his teammates, seeing "Duke" back at practice provided a big boost.
"It was awesome," Panthers defenseman Radko Gudas said. "You can see his energy and you can feel his energy. He's shooting the puck. It's always fun to get a guy back, but he's a big part of this group, too. It's fun to have him. He brings another element that we need."

THE HIT KING

There's a new Hit King in South Floirda.
A Baron of Bruises, if you will.
With three hits against the New York Rangers on Jan. 23, Gudas surpassed Vincent Trocheck (761) for the most hits in Panthers history. Already padding his lead in that department, the 32-year-old defenseman is currently sitting on 767 hits heading into Friday's battle with the Kings.
"It's awesome," Gudas said of the record. "I got a couple of congrats messages. … I never thought in my career that I'd be a franchise leader in anything. It's very special."
Since the NHL began tracking hits in 2007-08, no one has hit as hard or as often for the Panthers than Gudas. Leading the NHL in hits during his first two seasons in South Florida, "The Butcher" racked up 250 hits in 2020-21 and then a career-high 355 hits in 2021-22.
Missing some time due to an injury, Gudas ranks eighth in the NHL with 162 hits this season.
"It's all personality," Maurice said of Gudas, who has established himself as one of Florida's most-consistent defenseman in all aspects of the game. "Everybody's got their own in the room, but Radko's got this unique personality. When he's wired into the game, it just brings everybody else into the game. There's not a lot of bumps in his game. There's not a lot of light contact."
Turning hits into momentum is an area that Gudas certainly excels at.
One of the few players in the NHL that can still routinely execute good, clean hip-checks, Gudas said he takes pride in keeping moves like that as part of his energy-driving arsenal during games.
"I don't think I use it too much, but it's always part of the game," Gudas said. "It's a physical game out there. If I can spark the guys with big hits and make the opponents uncomfortable in our zone when I'm on the ice, that's something that I'm looking forward to doing every game."
Far more than just a heavy hitter, Gudas ranks second among Panthers defensemen this season in CF% (54.31) and third in GF% (54.17), according to NaturalStatTrick.com.
Congrats, Guds!