Panthers’ Brad Marchand has surgery, could miss start of 2026-27 season
Not the best news for a team looking to bounce back next year.
On social media, Florida Panthers forward Brad Marchand announced that he has undergone surgery in order to repair an unspecified injury. The 38-year-old revealed the news in a post stating that he would be unable to attend a farewell game for his former Boston Bruins teammate, Zdeno Chara, which is scheduled to be held in Trencin, Slovakia, on Aug. 21.
Marchand admitted that he tried to get better without having to go under the knife, but his efforts were unsuccessful.
“Unfortunately I had to have surgery,” Marchand said. “I was trying to fix without surgery but unfortunately that wasn’t able to happen and had to kind of do it last minute. With the time and the recovery I’m going to need I won’t be able to make it and play in the game.”
It’s strange to see Marchand announce his surgery at this point in the summer, especially since the veteran winger has continued to train throughout the summer, including with his four-year-old daughter, Rue.
While Marchand didn’t put a timeline for his recovery, an operation this late in the summer could spell trouble for his status at the beginning of the 2026-27 campaign. He had missed the final 19 games of the previous season due to an undisclosed injury, though it hasn’t been revealed if the two ailments are linked. Despite the injury, the Halifax, N.S. native was one of the Panthers’ most productive players, scoring 27 goals and 54 points in 52 games. He was the only skater to appear in at least half the team’s games and average a point per game. Marchand was one of many key figures on the Panthers’ roster who missed significant time due to injury. With players like Matthew Tkachuk, Sam Reinhart, and Anton Lundell all being out for long stretches, the Panthers ended up missing the postseason for the first time since the 2018-19 season, finishing seventh in the Atlantic Division.
Marchand will be entering the second season of his six-year contract that he signed with Florida after helping the team capture the Stanley Cup for the second year in a row. The deal carries an AAV of $5.25 million through the 2030-31 season.
In 1,152 career regular-season games in the NHL, Marchand has posted 451 goals and 583 assists for 1,034 points. He also has 158 points in 180 playoff contests.
