Florida Panthers Provide Rough Dmitry Kulikov Injury Update

While speaking to reporters, including team reporter Jameson Olive, Florida Panthers head coach Paul Maurice announced that defenseman Dmitry Kulikov will be out week-to-week due to an upper-body injury. In addition, Maurice said that the expectation is that Kulikov will get back in the lineup before the end of the regular season.

Kulikov (upper body) is week to week, per Maurice.

They expect him to return before the regular season ends.
— Jameson Olive (@JamesonCoop) March 19, 2025

Kulikov, 34, left the Panthers' March 16 contest against the New York Islanders early after an awkward collision with Anthony Duclair. Now, with this update from Maurice, we have confirmation that the veteran blueliner will be forced to miss some time.

The timing of Kulikov's injury is certainly rough, as the Panthers are currently fighting to keep their first-place spot in the Atlantic Division standings. The Tampa Bay Lightning and Toronto Maple Leafs are each two points behind the Panthers, and both have a game in hand. Thus, losing a solid shutdown defender like Kulikov will make things more difficult for Florida.

Kulikov has appeared in 68 games this season with the Panthers, where he has four goals, 13 points, 70 blocks, 110 hits, and a plus-13 rating. This is after he had one goal, 20 points, 84 blocks, and 145 hits in 76 games with the Panthers this past season.