Breaking: Worst Possible Development for Panthers Defenseman Kulikov

Dmitry Kulikov, Florida Panthers defenseman, kneels during warmup

The Florida Panthers have just had their worst fears confirmed on the fate of injured defenseman Dmitry Kulikov, as head coach Paul Maurice announced that the blueliner will be out for five months.

Paul Maurice says Dmitry Kulikov will miss the next 5 months after undergoing surgery for an upper-body injury pic.twitter.com/1NULFELDuQ
— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) October 15, 2025

Kulikov had surgery on his arm/wrist on Wednesday after an injury suffered last Thursday.

Here's the injury to Kulikov. 😨 pic.twitter.com/WL885u5lM0
— Jameson Olive (@JamesonCoop) March 17, 2025

The 34-year-old d-man went hard into the boards near the penalty box and immediately grabbed at his wrist area in pain.

Originally a first-round pick by the Panthers in 2009, he's been a steady force on the blueline since returning to South Florida for the past two seasons, having played a third-pairing role in each of their back-to-back Stanley Cup triumphs.

The 'three-peat' possibilities continue to take a hit, as Kulikov joins the list of key Panthers who are out for long, extended absences, including captain Aleksander Barkov and forward Matthew Tkachuk. Depth forward Tomas Nosek is also out for a while. Tkachuk should be back for the second half of the season, while Barkov's timeline is still unknown, and he could potentially be out for the entire year.

Nevertheless, the Cats are 3-1-0 in their first four games of the season.