Injury News: Kiselevich Breaks Jaw; Yandle on the Mend

SUNRISE, Fla. -The Florida Panthers will start the season without newcomer Bogdan Kiselevich.
Kiselevich, who inked a one-year deal with the Panthers this summer, exited Saturday night's game after taking a puck to the face early in the first period against the Lightning. The 28-year-old defenseman left the ice quickly and was immediately taken to a nearby hospital, where he received 40 stiches and X-rays.

After Sunday's practice at BB&T Center, coach Bob Boughner confirmed what many had expected.
"Kisser broke his jaw last night," Boughner said. "He's getting surgery this morning, probably as we speak. Tough kid. He wanted to know if he could put a cage on it and go back in the game… it looks like he's probably going to start the season on IR."
Projected to start the season as one half of Florida's bottom defensive pairing, Kiselevich spent the past nine seasons in the KHL, where he posted 23 goals and 100 assists in 393 career games. Instead of wiring his jaw shut, Boughner said the damage will be fixed with plating, which should expedite his recovery.
Entering the preseason finale, the Russian import had recorded one assist while playing solid defense in the previous four exhibition games, with Boughner adding that he saw Kiselevich "improving every day."
As for now, the plan is for Kiselevich to be re-evaluated in two weeks.
"It's tough to see," defenseman Alexander Petrovic said. "I thought he had a pretty good training camp up until this point. It always sucks to see guys go down like that. They work hard all summer, come into the beginning of the season and then something like that happens.
"We brought a lot of guys in this year. Expectations are high. I thought everyone came in and played really well. We've got the depth guys that can step up when needed… Last night, I thought we played really well, kept our shift lengths short and saved our energy."
In Kiselevich's absence, training camp-darling Jacob MacDonald now appears poised to make the first NHL roster of his career. Undrafted out of Cornell University in 2015, the 25-year-old defenseman has taken the long road to the NHL, suiting up in 110 games in both the AHL and ECHL before breaking out last season by leading the minors in goals (20) and points (55) by a defenseman with AHL Binghamton.
"A late-bloomer," Boughner said of MacDonald. "A smart kid. He's a real intelligent guy who thinks the game well. He's intelligent off the ice, but you can see the way he thinks on the ice in situations where he doesn't have a lot of time with the puck. He makes good decisions with the puck. I'm excited for him to be here this long. I don't know if he expected it or not, but he definitely earned it."
MacDonald, who was on an AHL-only deal with the Devils last season, said his longest training camp stint with an NHL club prior to this season was just over week. And although it was tough to watch his teammate go down-- "you never want to see a guy eat a puck. Ever" - he's more than ready to step up.
"It's been a long camp and it's been a lot of fun," said MacDonald, who led all Panthers defensemen with two goals in the preseason. "I'm excited to still be here. I just want to play my game, be solid in all three zones, just go out there and play hockey and do my thing… Obviously, I've got a lot of family support. It's exciting to hear from them every game."
In addition to Kiselevich, Florida also lost its minutes leader from last season to another injury last night, as defenseman Keith Yandle left the game after absorbing a big hit from Tampa's Cedric Paquette in the first period. Absent from Sunday's practice, the 32-year-old luckily won't be out of action very long.
"He's day-to-day," Boughner said. "I expect him back practicing this week."
The NHL's active ironman, Yandle hasn't missed a regular season game since March 22, 2009 - a streak of 715 consecutive games.
An offensive wizard from the blue line, he also ranked 12th in the league among D-men with 56 points (eight goals, 48 assists) last season, including 36 points on the power play.
But, despite the fact he'll likely be back for the opener on Oct. 6, Yandle's absence is already being felt.
"It's not good at all, even just today at practice," Petrovic said. "He keeps things light in [the locker room]."

MORE INJURY UPDATES (PER BOUGHNER)

-- D Aaron Ekblad (day-to-day) did not participate in Sunday's practice, but is expected back this week.
-- D MacKenzie Weegar (day-to-day) returned to practice on Sunday and is expected to be cleared for full contact on Wednesday.
-- F Micheal Haley (day-to-day) returned to practice on Sunday practice and will be cleared for contact on Wednesday.