Brad Marchand Returns to Florida Panthers, Sam Reinhart Moves to Center

The Florida Panthers are getting a big addition to their lineup just days after Sasha Barkov went down with a suspected left knee injury with Brad Marchand returning tonight against the Anaheim Ducks.

Marchand, 38, had surgery in August with coach Paul Maurice saying at the start of training camp that he would be out until November.

But Marchand looked and felt good enough in recent workouts , and got medical clearance, to come back sooner.

"It should be a great boost with Barkov being out of the lineup,'' Maurice said Sunday afternoon at Honda Center.

"He just brings so much energy … this guy is a really effective player. And he's a creative player. He's hard to game, and he creates from the chaos that he causes. … We're so pleased to have him back.''

On Saturday, Lars Eller moved up from the fourth line to take Barkov's spot centering the first — but Maurice said he is going to slide Sam Reinhart over to that position.

Marchand will replace Reinhart on the right side of the top line with Brady Tkachuk on the left.

The other three lines are able to remain the same.

Reinhart spent time at center with the Buffalo Sabres, including the second half of the 2021-22 season before being traded to the Panthers at the draft.

Florida has snot had much need to see Reinhart centering a line although Maurice said Sunday that the Panthers were looking to do so last season.

As the injuries mounted, the team decided against it.

"There was an idea last year if we could ever get Sam Reinhart into the middle of the ice,'' Maurice said. "We keep, in some ways, our center depth in term of veteran IQ. … It was in the back of our mind that if a center went down, Reinhart could be it. He came into the league as a centerman and was drafted very high. He might be our best option when we have the pieces.''

Defenseman Gus Forsling missed Thursday's game in San Jose after taking warmups. Maurice said he will be a gametime decision tonight.

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This Season — At Anaheim: Sunday. At Florida: Feb. 20.

All-time Regular Season Series: Florida leads 23-17-2, 3 ties

Up Next for the Panthers: Tuesday at Los Angeles Kings, 10 (ESPN)