FORT LAUDERDALE — Florida Panthers forward Brad Marchand revealed he underwent surgery for a lingering lower body injury, casting doubt on whether the veteran will be ready for the team’s Sept. 29 season opener at Carolina, Florida Hockey Now reported.
Marchand disclosed the procedure in an Instagram video explaining why he cannot participate in former Boston teammate Zdeno Chara’s charity game next week in Slovakia. “Unfortunately, I had to have a surgery, was trying to fix a problem without surgery, but unfortunately that was unable to happen and had to kind of do it last minute,” Marchand said. “With the time and recovery I am going to need, I won’t be able to make it and play in the game unfortunately.”
Marchand, believed to be dealing with a hip and sports hernia injury, could be out two months or more — a timeline that would push his return past the start of training camp in early-to-mid September and potentially beyond the preseason opener Sept. 20 against the Carolina Hurricanes. The surgery marks a reversal from the outlook general manager Bill Zito offered on July 1, when he said Marchand’s rehab appeared to be on track and they were not anticipating surgery.
The injury plagued Marchand’s first full season in South Florida. He aggravated the lower body issue — related to previous hip surgery and a sports hernia procedure during his time with the Bruins — in December. Marchand had 23 goals and 55 points at that point, leading the Panthers. The team rested him selectively in January so he could represent Team Canada at the Winter Olympics. “The Olympics were a big goal that I had,” Marchand said in April. He played in six more games after returning from the break before coach Paul Maurice shut him down for the remainder of the season.
Marchand finished with 27 goals and 54 points in 52 games, ranking second on the team in goals and fourth in points. At the team’s closeout day at the IcePlex, Marchand acknowledged surgery remained a possibility. “It’s something that we’re … it’s a last resort,” he said. “There’s so much time here that we’re not in a playoff position to where we’re going to try and do everything we can to get around it without having surgery.”
The Panthers had planned to slot Marchand on the third line alongside Anton Lundell and Eetu Luostarinen. If he is unavailable, rookie Sandis Vilmanis could get a look in that spot, Florida Hockey Now reported. The Panthers open their home schedule Oct. 10 against the Minnesota Wild at 6 p.m.