Brad Marchand Leaves Game With Apparent Knee Injury

by Robert BluteOctober 8, 2026, 1:24 pm >

Florida Panthers winger Brad Marchand left the game last night against the Los Angeles Kings following an awkward run-in with the goalpost.

Marchand, 38, dealt with an injury last season that required surgery and kept him out of the start of this young season as well. Marchand was a key addition to the Panthers’ 2024-2025 Stanley Cup run and spent most of his career with the Boston Bruins.

At first glance, the veteran went down awkwardly in a rush to the net before sliding to the back boards, but on review, a high stick caused the fall, which was penalized as a double-minor penalty that gave the Panthers a four-minute power play. The stick ripped him backward as he came full-speed toward the crease, which is why the fall and run into the net looked so awkward.

Marchand is known as a tough player, and he played through a grueling groin injury during the 2018 Stanley Cup Playoffs for the Boston Bruins.

Subscribe to our free weekly newsletter!

A week of sports news in your in-box.
We find the sports news you need to know, so you don't have to.

The slowed-down replay from above didn’t look good. An awkward twist and release were visible as Marchand immediately grabbed his left knee.

The Panthers have had one of the league’s best rosters for the last handful of NHL seasons, and injuries last year took them from Stanley Cup favorites to missing the playoffs. Head Coach Paul Maurice essentially shut down the season to protect the remaining players.

This season already looks troubling, with their biggest asset, Sascha Barkov, going down with a lower-body injury that will keep him out six to eight weeks. He missed all of last season, the biggest blow to the 2025-2026 campaign, with an ACL and MCL tear on the first day of training camp.

Maurice has yet to give an update on Marchand, saying he will be looked at Thursday. The Panthers added depth in the offseason, but two quick-turnaround injuries already hit two of the team’s biggest leaders.

The Panthers will hope for good news in the coming days, even though they managed a 2-1 win over the Kings last night.