The Florida Panthers are sending an NHL-leading 10 players to the 2026 Winter Olympics.
Although there won’t be much time for those players to rest, a handful of Panthers players remaining at home will benefit from a break to rest and reset.
Whether these are players are dealing with lingering injury issues, showing signs of fatigue after three long Stanley Cup runs, or simply benefitting from the opportunity to reset and change parts of their game.
Here are three Panthers players who will benefit from the Olympic break:
Sergei Bobrovsky, G
It’s hard to be overly critical of Sergei Bobrovsky’s play this season. His numbers are sight for sore eyes with a career low .871 save percentage and a 3.13 goals-against average in 40 games, but looking at the number of games he’s played in the last three seasons and his age, it’s understandable for his play to fall off.
In the last three seasons, Bobrovsky has played 162 regular-season games out of a possible 246 and 66 playoff games. In total, he’s played 228 NHL games in a three-year span. To wit, he’s now 37 years old and on pace to play 57 games this season.
Daniil Tarasov appeared to sustain a lower-body injury in the final game before the Olympic break, and the extent of the injury is currently unknown. If he’s out long-term, Bobrovsky could be tasked with an even heavier workload. If any player needs a three-week rest, it’s Bobrovsky.
Panthers' Daniil Tarasov Exits Early With An Injury; No Status Update ProvidedFlorida Panthers goaltender Daniil Tarasov was forced to exit Thursday’s 6-1 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning with what appears to be a lower-body injury. Mackie Samoskevich, RW
Mackie Samoskevich’s season has been odd. He started the season strongly, posting a flurry of assists, and he remains on pace to eclipse his assist total from last year, but his goal scoring is down in a major way, and it was supposed to be his calling card in the NHL.
His shot remains potent, and he’s continued to fire pucks from high-danger areas of the ice, but the puck is just not finding the back of the net. His shooting percentage is astonishingly low at 4.9 percent.
But patience is key with the 23-year-old American winger. He has the offensive tools, the defensive awareness, and the speed to be a solid middle-six winger in the NHL. A chance to reset and work on some things could benefit his game, and he can begin to work his way back up the Panthers lineup.
Playmaking Up, Goal Scoring Down; Why Is Panthers' Mackie Samoskevich Struggling To Score Goals?Mackie Samoskevich’s shooting luck has been nonexistent this year, and his goal-scoring numbers have taken a hit because of it. What can the Florida Panthers' winger do to turn things around? Aaron Ekblad, D
With all the time Aaron Ekblad has missed over the past few seasons due to injuries or suspensions, it’s hard to really narrow down exactly what Ekblad is at this stage of his career. His offensive numbers have continued to decline, but he has become a bit more potent on the defensive end, although there are still some limitations.
He and Gustav Forsling have remained the Panthers’ top defense pairing, but the duo hasn’t dominated as we’ve seen before. Whether teams have figured out how to play against them or fatigue has become a factor is unclear, but this three-week break should bode well for Ekblad.
The 30-year-old plays a physical game, so rest is a valuable part of his recovery. The Panthers need to prevent pucks from ending up in the back of their net, and although goaltending has let them down, improved play from Ekblad and the rest of the defense core would go a long way in fighting back into the playoff race.
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