Veteran defenseman Dmitry Kulikov, a steady force on the blue line of the past two Stanley Cup title runs, will be out of the Florida Panthers’ lineup indefinitely after being placed on injured reserve.

Kulikov, 34, was injured in Florida’s second game of the season, a 2-1 victory over the Philadelphia Flyers on Thursday in which he played 11 shifts covering 7:47 time on the ice. After a collision with Flyers forward Bobby Brink on a second-period shift, he left the ice holding his right wrist.

The Panthers made his move to IR official on Friday, and on Saturday, after morning skate leading into his team’s 6-2 victory over the Ottawa Senators, coach Paul Maurice told reporters that the veteran could need surgery.

Florida, off to a 3-0-0 start, is already without captain Aleksander Barkov, who underwent knee surgery last month, and forward Matthew Tkachuk, who is out until at least December with a lower-body injury.

This is Kulikov’s second tenure with the Panthers. He appeared in 70 games last season, finishing with four goals and 13 points.

PITTSBURGH — New York Rangers coach Mike Sullivan knew the Pittsburgh Penguins were going to play a tribute video. There has been one for each returning player that won a championship during Sullivan’s time with the Penguins.

That doesn’t mean it wasn’t any less emotional in his return to Pittsburgh after parting ways with the organization in April.

“It means a lot,” Sullivan said after New York’s 6-1 win at Pittsburgh on Saturday. “I’m grateful for everything we accomplished (in Pittsburgh) during my time.”

The tribute video played at the first media timeout, honoring Sullivan for his accomplishments with the Penguins. Sullivan received a standing ovation and acknowledged the crowd with a wave to the air

Mika Zibanejad scored a short-handed goal 23 seconds after the video to give the Rangers a lead they didn’t relinquish.

Sullivan, who spent 10 seasons with the Penguins, was elevated from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the American Hockey League and won back-to-back Stanley Cup championships with Pittsburgh in 2016-17. Sullivan, the only U.S.-born coach to win at least two Stanley Cups, is the all-time leader at Pittsburgh with 409 wins in 753 games.

“I’m so grateful to the group of players over those years that performed the way they did that allowed us to have the success that we had,” Sullivan said. “When you watch a tribute like that, which I was very appreciative of for the Penguins, they didn’t have to do that, it brings back a flood of emotions.”

Sullivan already coached against the Penguins and lost, as Dan Muse won his debut behind the bench with Pittsburgh 3-0 in Tuesday’s season opener at Madison Square Garden. Sullivan was impressed with his team’s response during a shutout at Buffalo on Thursday and again two days later with a win against the same Pittsburgh team that blanked the Rangers in the opener.

“They played a much more determined game for the last 40 minutes,” Sullivan said. “I think that shows you what we’re capable of when we play with that focus and determination.”

The Penguins and Sullivan parted ways after Pittsburgh missed the playoffs for a third straight season. Almost immediately, Sullivan landed in New York and replaced Peter Laviolette for a franchise seeking it’s first title since 1994. Sullivan is now tasked with the responsibility of providing structure and discipline to a team that unraveled on and off the ice, missing the playoffs one season after winning the Presidents Trophy and reaching the Eastern Conference Final.

Sullivan’s relentless intensity instantly ignited the Penguins. But now Pittsburgh, which hasn’t made it beyond the first round since 2018, is in the midst of an inevitable rebuild and general manager Kyle Dubas felt that it was time to go in another direction.

Now, Sullivan’s job is to turn the Rangers back into an immediate contender.

“I’m excited about the group of players we have in New York,” Sullivan said. “I’ve enjoyed the time I’ve had to work with them to this point, we have a lot of enthusiasm around our team right now and we’re excited about what we can potentially do moving forward.”

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Forward Jonah Gadjovich and the Florida Panthers have agreed on a two-year, $1.8 million extension that keeps him under contract through the 2027-28 season, the team announced Sunday.

Gadjovich has six goals and three assists in 84 games over parts of three seasons with the Panthers. He also had two goals — one of them against the Toronto Maple Leafs in a Game 7 win — and an assist in last season’s Stanley Cup playoffs.

“Jonah has become an integral part of our locker room and a strong contributor for our group on the ice,” general manager Bill Zito said. “He possesses a fearless attitude and unrelenting competitiveness, and we are excited for Jonah to continue with us in South Florida.”

The extension was announced on Gadjovich’s 27th birthday.

Through three games this season, Gadjovich has one assist and a team-high-tying 11 hits for the Panthers.

He has 19 points in 163 career games with Florida, San Jose and Vancouver. He was a second-round pick by Vancouver, going No. 55 overall, in the 2017 NHL draft. During his time with the Panthers, Gadjovich is averaging a team-best 19.7 hits per 60 minutes.

Gadjovich, who could have become an unrestricted free agent after the season, is the 11th forward the Panthers have under contract for next season, joining Aleksander Barkov, Matthew Tkachuk, Sam Reinhart, Sam Bennett, Carter Verhaeghe, Brad Marchand, Anton Lundell, Evan Rodrigues, Eetu Luostarinen and Jesper Boqvist.

It’s possible that a 12th forward — Mackie Samoskevich, who could become a restricted free agent — gets a new deal later this season as well.