No team gets through the entirety of the Stanley Cup playoffs without a few bumps and bruises along the way. Everyone knows that.
But the Florida Panthers were dealing with much more than just a few minor injuries according to head coach Paul Maurice.
After his team lost to the Vegas Golden Knights in Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final, officially ending the Panthers' season, Maurice admitted his team was playing severely banged-up.
Maurice revealed the star forward Matthew Tkachuk suffered a broken sternum in Game 3 on a hit from Keegan Kolesar. Tkachuk dressed for Game 4, but had a limited role, skating only four shifts in the third period. He then was ruled out for the series-deciding Game 5 on Tuesday.
Throughout the playoffs, stud defenceman Aaron Ekblad broke his foot, dislocated his shoulder twice and tore his oblique, Maurice said. Ekblad missed just one game all playoffs.
And Maurice said that defenceman Radko Gudas should have been out six weeks with a high ankle sprain. Instead, he missed just one period.
Maurice didn't divulge any more specifics, other than admitting that multiple players will require surgeries, with some recovery periods being four-to-six months, which would put the start of their 2023-24 regular season in jeopardy.
The Panthers head coach also said the majority of their injuries occurred in their Round 1 upset of the Presidents' Trophy-winning Boston Bruins.
More specifics are expected to be announced in the coming days.
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