Panthers say Eetu Luostarinen out after 'barbecuing mishap' - ESPN

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — The two-time defending Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers are now dealing with even more injuries, including one sustained in a grilling accident.

And coach Paul Maurice, when looking at the big picture, is seeing all of this as a way for the champs to get even better.

Forward Eetu Luostarinen will be listed as week-to-week, Maurice said Wednesday, after what the coach described as «a barbecuing mishap.» But the already-shorthanded Panthers don't seem to have a concrete timeline in mind for Luostarinen's return.

«We don't have a lot of experience with this,» Maurice said. «When he comes back and feels comfortable with the equipment on him, away we go.»

And forward Cole Schwindt, who the Panthers claimed off waivers last month to help with their injury problems, is now on the injury list himself. Schwindt will need surgery in the coming days to repair a broken arm and the Panthers expect that he'll miss 2/3 months.

Luostarinen and Schwindt become the latest entries on an injury log for the Panthers that already included long-term issues for captain Aleksander Barkov (preseason ACL tear), Dmitry Kulikov (upper body), Jonah Gadjovich (upper body), Tomas Nosek (knee) and Matthew Tkachuk (groin). Barkov, Kulikov, Gadjovich and Nosek all still have months to go in their recoveries; Tkachuk may start skating by the end of this month and could make his season debut sometime in December.

It is not at all what the Panthers expected to start the season. But that's where Maurice sees opportunity; the roster depletions have forced Florida to change its playing style somewhat, and he thinks that could wind up providing valuable lessons.

«There's an awful lot of good if you can capture, if you can learn some