Banged-up Panthers lose Weiss for season
Stephen Weiss may have played his final game with the Florida Panthers, with the team revealing on Tuesday that the veteran forward is expected to have seasonending wrist surgery.
Weiss will have the surgery next week, said Panthers general manager Dale Tallon.
“Not good news,” Tallon said in Sunrise, Fla., after the Panthers completed a morning skate.
By any measure, the Panthers are losing games and players at an alarming rate.
Tallon began his remarks on Tuesday by updating the status of several injured players — goaltender Jose Theodore, who is expected to miss up to six weeks with a leg injury among them.
Then he paused and broke the news about Weiss. “This is the kicker,” Tallon said. Weiss will be a free agent after the season, meaning his 11-year run with Florida could be over.
Weiss had only one goal and three assists in 17 games this season, clearly labouring at times.
“We saw a different player in the past,” Panthers coach Kevin Dineen said.
“It obviously affected his game. It’s a loss for us.”
The Panthers entered play Tuesday with the second-fewest points in the NHL standings, not at all what the reigning Southeast Division champions were hoping for this season.
Still, both Tallon and Dineen refused to give up on the season.
“You can’t worry about the uncontrollables,” Dineen said.
“Until guys are back, we’ll move forward. ... The players we have here understand what our situation is now. I think they’re the right guys to find that step to get us in the right direction.”