FHN TODAY: How do Florida Panthers Fit In Anthony Duclair?

With Anthony Duclair now free of the bright yellow no-contact jersey, it looks like he is close to a return with the Florida Panthers.

On Monday, coach Paul Maurice said Duclair probably will not play on this road trip, but could be back when the Panthers come home next week.

Duclair has missed the entirety of this season due to offseason Achilles surgery and the team has been using a big chunk of his $3 million cap hit to remain compliant.

So, what has to happen to get him back on the roster?

The Panthers are currently at 23 players after bringing up Grigori Denisenko on Sunday and he may or may not be one of the roster casualties.

With his roster status — he can go back to Charlotte without going through waivers — he seems like a prime candidate to be returned but it looks like Florida will have to make one other move to add Duclair’s salary to its cap.

So, who goes?

On Monday, the Panthers scratched Chris Tierney and Colin White to make room for Denisenko on the fourth line and it would not be surprising to see one of those two players placed on waivers and sent to Charlotte to bring Duclair back.

Tierney has already passed through waivers once this season.

Florida may try and waive both players in the coming weeks as the NHL Trade Deadline is fast approaching on March 3.

While the Panthers are not expected to make major moves, they may want some roster flexibility to make an addition before the deadline — although bringing back Duclair is sort of like a big trade.

FLORIDA HOCKEY NOW

Today is certainly a solemn day throughout South Florida as we mark the fifth anniversary of the horrific mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland.

While we were all affected by the tragedy and still grieve the losses, the Panthers were close to the situation and have remained steadfast in support of that small community we all care about.

I watched this video yesterday as I was preparing our Douglas tribute story and again was caught up in the emotion as if it did happen yesterday.

It remains very powerful stuff — and as we saw last night in East Lansing, the tragedies continue to happen regardless of where you live.

A moment of silence is asked to be observed at 10:17 a.m. this morning.

— On Monday night, the Panthers went 0-for-7 on the power play in a 2-1 win against the host Wild, but the truth of it is, at this point in the season the W is all that matters.

And the Panthers have to keep up their ‘not-too-high, not-too-low’ mentality moving forward.

With the win Monday, the Panthers pulled within two points of Washington for the first wild card and one of Pittsburgh for the second.

Florida will visit Minnesota and St. Louis — before a key game against the Capitals on Thursday night. The trip ends Saturday in Nashville.

— Postgame video from Monday night as Maurice, Anton Lundell and Sergei Bobrovsky spoke in St. Paul.

Those interviews are up on the FHN YouTube Channel.

You can click the embedded videos below or click RIGHT HERE to see everything all in one place.

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NATIONAL HOCKEY NOW

With the NHL Trade Deadline coming, we all know the Montreal Canadiens will be sellers.

And, as luck would have it, a couple of their veterans are really playing well — and perhaps playing their way out of town with the NHL Trade Deadline looming.

A couple of the guys who could be playing their way out of town include old pals Evgenii Dadonov and Mike Hoffman.

• Jake DeBrusk has been skating but will not be back in the Boston Bruins lineup Tuesday in Dallas.
• Felix Sandstrom has not been great, but the Philadelphia Flyers have not done their backup goalie any favors.
• Erik Johnson, hurt in Sunrise on Saturday night, will not be in the lineup Tuesday for the Colorado Avalanche.
• Tristan Jarry took part in the full Pittsburgh Penguins practice Monday near LAX and could be back Tuesday against the Sharks.
• Everything you need to know about the Washington Capitals outdoor game at NC State.

PANTHERS ON DECK

FLORIDA PANTHERS AT ST. LOUIS BLUES 

• When: Tuesday, 8 p.m.
• Where: Enterprise Center, St. Louis
• Streaming ONLY: ESPN+/Hulu
• Radio: WPOW 96.5-FM2; WBZT 1230-AM (Palm Beach); WCTH 100.3-FM (Florida Keys); SiriusXM
• Panthers Radio Streaming: SiriusXM 932
• Season Series (Blues lead 1-0): St. Louis 5, Florida 4 (OT), Nov. 26
• Last season: Split 1-1
  
• All-time regular season series: St. Louis leads 25-12-1, 3 ties