Jan 03, 2026
3 min read
The defenseman left in the first period against the Rangers in the latest loss for the 2-time champions
MIAMI - The Florida Panthers' 2026 season started like every other season, as another key player was lost to injury.
Defenseman Seth Jones suffered an upper-body injury during the Panthers' 5-1 loss to the New York Rangers in the 2026 Discover Winter Classic at loanDepot Park on Friday, capping what should have been a night to celebrate Florida's first outdoor game.
That was part of Florida's lesson, though, during an injury-riddled season that derailed its bid for a third straight Stanley Cup.
"That's definitely been the theme of our year," Panthers coach Paul Maurice said."Every year there's something. ... This year is about overcoming these injuries. Find a way to win without your best players. But if you can do that, there's a pretty good price in the end."
The Panthers knew they were facing a three-peat climb when they opened the season without doubting two of their key forwards in Alexander Berkoff (knee) and Matthew Tuchuk (muscle, sports hernia).But the list has grown and includes forwards Tomas Nosek (knee), Jonah Gudjoch (upper body) and Cole Schundt (broken arm) and defenseman Dmitry Kulikov (upper body).
Helped by 9-3-1 before the Winter Classic, the Panthers (24-16-3-3) with the second card in the east of the country?
But Jones' injury, which he suffered when he was hit near his left collarbone on a missed shot at 7:54 of the first period, provided another reminder of the rebirth battles Florida will face throughout the season. "He needs to be evaluated tomorrow."
Still, it fell on the day Jones was named to the U.S. roster for the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milano Cortina.
"It's not a good thing when a man falls," said Panthers forward Eetu Luostarine."He is a big part of our team. We need him to play with energy and obviously he can play a lot of minutes, so there is a big loss, but I hope he is good."
