Florida Panthers defenseman Dmitry Kulikov will be sidelined five months after undergoing surgery to repair a labral tear, head coach Paul Maurice announced Wednesday.
That timeline would keep Kulikov out until mid-March.
Kulikov, who turns 35 later this month, appeared to be injured after colliding with Flyers forward Bobby Brink during the second period of Florida’s 2-1 win over Philadelphia on Oct. 9.
Kulikov was placed on injured reserve the following day, joining captain Aleksander Barkov (knee) and forwards Matthew Tkachuk (groin) and Tomas Nosek (knee) on the IR list.
“Dmitry is like some of the other players that we have out of the lineup; he is unique in his role,” Maurice said. “Excellent penalty killer. Physical player in the five, six (spot on defense), but he can skate and close gaps. So, that’s the hole (to fill).”
A rotation of Uvis Balinskis and Tobias Bjornfot will likely take Kulikov’s spot on the third pairing.
“Uvis played, I believe, 74 games for us last year (76), so we’ll put in a veteran player who’s played here,” Maurice said. “So again, it’s the same concept. You don’t replace these guys that you have out of the lineup. The weight doesn’t get heavier. You just have fewer guys to lift, right? So, everybody shares it.”
Balinskis, 29, is in his third season in Florida after a professional career in Europe. He played in 26 games in his first NHL season but skated in 76 games last season, notching four goals and 14 assists.
“We have full expectation of Uvis playing the game that he’s capable of playing,” Maurice said. “He doesn’t get any room not to. But that’s a positive for us. We think we’re putting a guy in who’s very capable.”
Kulikov had yet to record a point in two games this season.
A two-time Stanley Cup champion with the Panthers, Kulikov has 247 points (50 goals, 197 assists) in 1,020 career games with eight NHL teams. He was the 14th overall pick of the Panthers in the 2009 NHL Draft.
