Brad Marchand to return ‘early in the season’: Panthers GM

The Florida Panthers are set to begin the 2026-27 season without Brad Marchand in their lineup, but it’s not something that’s keeping general manager Bill Zito awake at night.

While meeting with reporters ahead of training camp on Wednesday, Zito said that he expects Marchand to return from off-season surgery “early in the season,” but added that the team will be conservative in getting the veteran winger back on the ice.

Regardless of the timing of Marchand’s return, though, Zito said, it’s “not a worry or concern for (him).”

Marchand confirmed in early August through a social media post that he underwent an undisclosed procedure to get back to full health as the Panthers look to bounce back from their injury-riddled 2025-26.

“Unfortunately, I had to have a surgery,” Marchand said in the post on Aug. 15. “I was trying to fix (the injury) without surgery, but unfortunately that wasn’t able to happen and had to kind of do it last minute.”

Marchand dealt with a lower-body injury for most of the 2025-26 season, and with the Panthers out of the playoff picture, he was shut down for the final 19 games of the regular season.

Even while being limited by the injury, the 38-year-old forward still put up 27 goals and 27 assists in 52 games. Marchand joined the Panthers ahead of the 2024-25 trade deadline and helped the team win a second straight Stanley Cup title.