FORT LAUDERDALE — Florida Panthers forward Jonah Gadjovich remains out indefinitely with an unresolved neck and neurological issue that has sidelined him since last October, coach Paul Maurice said Thursday as training camp opened at the team’s practice facility.
Gadjovich, who underwent neck surgery in November after being initially injured Oct. 25 in a win against the Vegas Golden Knights, returned to the Panthers in January but never made it back into the lineup. He finished last season with three assists and 30 hits in 10 games. On Thursday, he was spotted wearing a rose-tinted visor — an indicator of neurological or concussion-based issues — while skating with Brad Marchand between camp sessions, Florida Hockey Now reported.
“There’s a couple of things we’re trying to get sorted out,” Maurice said. “Clearly, it has been a long-term issue for us and it has not been resolved. We’re still looking at different options, searching for some answers to see if we can get this back to playing.”
Maurice described Gadjovich’s ordeal as “heartbreaking” for a player who had been “scratching and clawing to stay in the lineup every night.” Gadjovich earned a regular role as part of a fourth line that took over during Round 2 of the Panthers’ 2025 Stanley Cup championship run and was becoming an everyday option before the injury struck.
“Mysterious is not the right word,” Maurice continued. “[We’re] just find the right path to bring him back to health first, then get him back on the ice. I have nothing but respect for the man. … I have seen players over time that missed a year, year and a half with an injury no one could get a handle on. It wouldn’t heal, then boom, it just healed and there was never a problem.”
Maurice added a sobering caveat: “We’ve seen the other side, too.”
Marchand, meanwhile, will take the entire month of October to rehab from his August surgery. The Panthers open preseason play Sunday against the Carolina Hurricanes at 7 p.m. in the first of four exhibition games. Open camp practices continue Friday and Saturday at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. in Fort Lauderdale. Florida opens the 2026-27 regular season Sept. 29 at Carolina at 5 p.m. on ESPN, with the home opener set for Oct. 10 against the Minnesota Wild at 6 p.m.