Panthers' Eetu Luostarinen Out Week-To-Week After BBQ Accident

Wednesday, November 19, 2025

Florida Panthers forward Eetu Luostarinen reacts during 2025 game.

Even after surviving a brutal injury stretch to start the season, the Florida Panthers have taken yet another unexpected hit. 

Perhaps, the most unexpected.

Forward Eetu Luostarinen is officially listed as week-to-week after suffering burns in a barbecue accident, head coach Paul Maurice told reporters Wednesday. Luostarinen did not require an overnight hospital stay, and his return will depend on when he apparently feels comfortable wearing full equipment. 

It’s an wild setback for the 27-year-old, who already missed Monday’s game against the Vancouver Canucks with a lower-body injury. He has 10 points through 18 games after a standout playoff run last spring, helping Florida defend its Stanley Cup title with 19 points in 23 games.

It’s the second strange off-ice injury to hit the league in a week, following Jack Hughes’ finger surgery after a team-dinner mishap in New Jersey.

The timing could not be worse for the Panthers, who continue to try to work with a roster hammered by injuries to key stars. On top of Luostarinen’s absence, Maurice confirmed Cole Schwindt will miss two to three months after suffering a broken arm that will require surgery. 

Meanwhile, franchise pillars Aleksander Barkov and Matthew Tkachuk have yet to play this season due to offseason surgeries, while defenseman Dmitry Kulikov remains out long-term with an upper-body injury. 

With depth already stretched thin, Luostarinen’s line with Brad Marchand and Anton Lundell had become Florida’s most consistent unit. Now, another hole opens in a lineup that has been constantly reshuffled since Opening Night.

The Panthers enter Thursday’s matchup against the New Jersey Devils with a 10-8-1 record, sitting sixth in the Atlantic Division.

Photo Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

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