FORT LAUDERDALE – It’s been one of those years.
Just when it had looked like the Florida Panthers had added the last player to the injury list, one more still snuck in there.
On Wednesday, head coach Paul Maurice announced that forward Tomas Nosek suffered a broken leg in Monday’s 3-2 win over the New York Rangers.
With one game left in their season, the back-to-back Stanley Cup champions have already surpassed 500 man games lost to injury.
“[Head Athletic Trainer] Dave DiNapoli has walked into the coach’s office, as he does, and said ‘you’re not going to believe this’ about 25 times this year,” Maurice said. “When he told me how terrible this has gotten, I felt terrible for Nose (Nosek), but my next question was ‘anybody else?’ I expected two guys.
His second injury of the season, Nosek missed the first 60 games after undergoing surgery on his knee in the offseason.
Despite the injury-plagued season, the 33-year-old veteran was still able to put a positive swing on the situation.
“The beautiful part about it is when I see him, he’s got a boot on, and he said, ‘Well, at least it’s my other leg,’” Maurice said of his interaction with Nosek.
In 21 games this season, Nosek recorded four points (2G, 2A), 12 blocked shots, and 51 hits.
Helping the Panthers to a 6-2 win at Toronto on April 11, Nosek scored twice against the Maple Leafs.
"It's been a roller coaster season and tough times sometimes,” Nosek said after the win. “It was a long time without the games. You’re wondering what’s going to happen when you come back, and I’m just happy I did it before the end of the season.”
One of the 15 players that will be out in the season finale against the Detroit Red Wings on Wednesday at Amerant Bank Arena, Maurice also stated that Gustav Forsling will be out after playing through a back injury.
Logging the most games and minutes for the Panthers this season, the Swedish blueliner played in 80 games and recorded 28 points (2G, 26A).
“Outside of the real world, playing for the Panthers has been the most dangerous job in pro sports,” Maurice said.
But with the light at the end of the tunnel, the hope is that this extended summer will provide a valuable time for the Panthers to recover and ramp up with a healthy roster for a chance at another championship run in 2026-27.
“We’ve been through a lot,” said forward Sam Reinhart, whose season ended due to an injury back in March. “The silver lining is we’ve got a good chunk of time to get ourselves in a better spot coming into camp next year.”
