The 2024-25 NHL season is officially underway with a few games in the books. While the season has barely begun, there’s a large amount of players that are already on the injured list.
The start of the season has proven costly for the defending Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers, as center and team captain Aleksander Barkov suffered a lower body injury trying to prevent an empty-net goal in the closing moments of Florida’s 3-1 loss to the Ottawa Senators on October 9. Speaking to reporters, Panthers head coach Paul Maurice estimated that Barkov would be sidelined two to three weeks, with a chance to return to the ice by the team’s early November NHL Global Series match in Finland if not sooner.
Plus, No. 1 overall pick for the San Jose Sharks Macklin Celebrini is also injured and headed to the IR. Celebrini will miss at least the next two games after suffering a lower-body injury in training camp that has bothered him to start the year.
Vancouver Canucks goaltender Thatcher Demko is one of the biggest names currently out of the lineup. Demko is currently dealing with a knee injury that has hampered him since the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs. In Game 1 of Vancouver’s opening-round series against the Nashville Predators, Demko injured his knee and wasn’t able to return at any point in the postseason. It was recently revealed the Canucks netminder will miss three-to-four weeks, so he could return to the ice in early November.
Colorado Avalanche captain Gabriel Landeskog also is continuing to work his way back from injury. It’s been a long road for Landeskog, who hasn’t played since the 2022 postseason. Landeskog underwent arthroscopic knee surgery after the Avalanche won the Stanley Cup in 2022. It was initially announced that Landeskog would miss the opening 12 weeks of the 2022-23 season, but he eventually ended up missing the entire campaign.
After revealing that the Colorado captain wouldn’t take part in the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs, the team announced he needed cartilage transplant surgery and would miss the entire 2023-24 season. Landeskog continues to rehabilitate his knee, but it’s unclear when he could return to the ice.
Here is a list of many of the marquee players that are currently sidelined due to injury.
John Gibson (G)
Type of Injury: Appendectomy surgery
Injured Reserve: Yes
Approximate Return Date: Early November 2024
Last Played: 4/12/2024
Yegor Sharangovich (C)
Type of Injury: Lower-body
Injured Reserve: Yes
Approximate Return Date: Unknown
Last Played: 10/4/2024
Colorado Avalanche
Gabriel Landeskog
Type of Injury: Knee
Injured Reserve: Yes
Approximate Return Date: Unknown
Last Played: 6/26/222
Artturi Lehkonen
Type of Injury: Shoulder surgery
Injured Reserve: Yes
Approximate Return Date: Unknown
Last Played: 5/17/24
Evander Kane (LW)
Type of Injury: Hip, hernia surgeries
Injured Reserve: Yes
Approximate Return Date: February 2025
Last Played: 6/10/24
Florida Panthers
Aleksander Barkov (C)
Type of Injury: Lower Body
Injured Reserve: No
Approximate Return Date: Late October-Early November
Last Played: 10/9/24
Drew Doughty (D)
Type of Injury: Ankle surgery
Injured Reserve: Yes
Approximate Return Date: Unknown
Last Played: 9/25/24
Luke Hughes (D)
Type of Injury: Shoulder
Injured Reserve: Yes
Approximate Return Date: Early November 2024
Last Played: 4/15/24
Brett Pesce (D)
Type of Injury: Fractured fibula
Injured Reserve: Yes
Approximate Return Date: October 2024
Last Played: 4/22/24
Bryan Rust (RW)
Type of Injury: Lower-body
Injured Reserve: Yes
Approximate Return Date: October 2024
Last Played: 10/1/24
Torey Krug (D)
Type of Injury: Ankle surgery
Injured Reserve: Yes
Approximate Return Date: 2025-26 season
Last Played: 4/10/24
San Jose Sharks
Macklin Celebrini (C)
Type of Injury: Lower body
Injured Reserve: Yes
Approximate Return Date: October 2024
Last Played: 10/10/24
Calle Jarnkrok (C)
Type of Injury: Lower-body
Injured Reserve: Yes
Approximate Return Date: Late October 2024
Last Played: 9/22/24
Nick Bjugstad (C)
Type of Injury: Upper-body
Injured Reserve: Yes
Approximate Return Date: Early November 2024
Last Played: 4/7/24
John Marino (D)
Type of Injury: Upper-body
Injured Reserve: Yes
Approximate Return Date: Mid-October 2024
Last Played: 4/15/24
Vancouver Canucks
Thatcher Demko (G)
Type of Injury: Knee
Injured Reserve: Yes
Approximate Return Date: Late October 2024
Last Played: 4/21/24
Dakota Joshua (C)
Type of Injury: Recovery from testicular cancer
Injured Reserve: Yes
Approximate Return Date: Late October 2024
Last Played: 5/20/24
William Karlsson (C)
Type of Injury: Undisclosed
Injured Reserve: Yes
Approximate Return Date: October 2024
Last Played: 5/5/24
