Lineup tweaks for tonight's game vs. Montreal as key player misses practice

A clip circulating on X says Marchand was not on the ice for practice, and there were no details offered in the moment. That kind of silence always lands the same way, louder than it should.

The context matters, because Tuesday in Toronto he didn't return for the third period after an undisclosed issue. Paul Maurice called it a coaching decision and said they didn't want to risk making it worse.

If you're a Panthers fan, this is the kind of update that makes you refresh your feed like it's Game 7. Marchand doesn't just fill a line spot, he sets the emotional temperature of their forecheck.

On the numbers, he's been Florida's pace-setter this season with 23 goals and 46 points, and he's listed day-to-day. Those totals match across major stat feeds, and they explain why one missed skate becomes a real story.

At 37, Marchand is still the same third-round pick Boston took 71st in 2006, now on a long Florida deal that carries a $5.25 million cap hit. That contract detail is public, and it's part of why the Panthers built around him so quickly.

Tactically, the Panthers would miss his little stuff first, the hard stops on the wall, the stick lifts on the backcheck, the quick bump that keeps a cycle alive. He also drives entries on the power play, which can be the difference in a tight road game.

Florida heads into Thursday in Montreal with the obvious question hanging over warmups. The next milestone is simple, does Marchand skate, and if he does, does he look like himself.