FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – The hits keep on coming for the Florida Panthers.
On Wednesday, head coach Paul Maurice announced that forwards Eetu Luostarinen (burns) and Cole Schwindt (broken arm) will both miss extended stretches of time.
Luostarinen, who suffered serious burns during a barbequing accident, is week to week.
An exceptional two-way player, the 27-year-old has tallied 10 points (3G, 7A) this season.
“We don’t have a lot of experience with this,” head coach Paul Maurice said of the injury. “Some of it is when he comes back and feels comfortable with the equipment on, and then it’s away we go. He wasn’t in the hospital overnight. He did see doctors in that vein.”
Out for a longer stretch, Cole Schwindt will miss 2-3 months after breaking his right arm.
Schwindt suffered the injury when he collided with goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky while chasing down a puck in the first period of Monday’s 8-5 win over the Vancouver Canucks.
Claimed off waivers on Oct. 3, Schwindt has scored two goals in 10 games this season.
“He’s very likely going to have surgery,” Maurice said. “He’s going to see the doctor today.”
For the Panthers, the list of injuries is longer than a receipt from CVS.
In addition to Luostarinen and Schwindt, the back-to-back Stanley Cup champions are currently missing captain Aleksander Barkov (knee), forwards Tomas Nosek (knee), Jonah Gadjovich (upper body) and Matthew Tkachuk (hip), and defenseman Dmitry Kulikov (shoulder).
Tkachuk could return sometime in December, while the rest are still out multiple months.
“We’re trying to play the best we can,” Maurice said of the weathering the storm of injuries within the locker room. “Our job right now is we’ve got a figure out how to win with this team we have specifically right here. If we can get this all right and get into the playoffs, then you suffer an elite player going down, you should be able to handle that now. That’s the goal.”
To help fill the void, rookie Jack Devine as called up from the AHL on Wednesday.
Set to make his NHL debut when the Panthers continue their homestand against the New Jersey Devils on Thursday, the 22-year-old forward leads the Charlotte Checkers in scoring with 12 points (6G, 6A) in 13 games so far this season.
“Felt amazing,” Devine said following his first NHL practice at Baptist Health IcePlex this morning. “Obviously, something I’ve been working a long time for. Just grateful for the opportunity to be here. Super excited to get my first day going.”
A seventh-round pick (221st overall), Devine spent four seasons at the University of Denver before turning pro, helping the illustrious program capture national championships in 2022 and 2024.
Last season, he led the NCAA in scoring with 57 points (13G, 44A) in 44 games.
"We think we got a real good one here,” Maurice said.
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