Panthers Coach โExpresses Confidence in Uvis Balinskis Amid Injury
Following a season-ending injury โto defenseman Dmitry Kulikov, expected โto sideline him for approximately five months, the Florida โPanthers are turning to Uvis Balinskis to fill the gap in their lineup. โPanthers coach Morris โฃhas voiced strong confidence in theโ Latvian player’s ability to contribute.
“Uvis played 76 games last season, so we are addingโข a hockey player who has NHL experience,” Morris stated. “We fully expect Uvis to play at the level he is capable of. We believe we are using a guy who is very capable.”
Balinskis,โ currently in his third season with the Panthers, has appeared in three โgames this season, averaging 13 minutes and โ26 seconds of โice time and posting a -1โค efficiency rating.He previously played 26 gamesโข in his debut season, recording โthree points (1 goal, 2 assists) with a neutral efficiency. Last season saw him feature in 76 regular seasonโฃ games, contributing 18 points through 4 goals โand 14 assists, though with a -7 efficiency โrating.
NHL analyst Joey Ganzi of The Hockey Writersโค hasโ suggested this โis a crucial opportunity for Balinskis to proveโ his value during Kulikov’sโค absence.
Balinskis is in the final year of โa two-year, $1.7 million contract and will become an โunrestricted free โagent at the end of the current season. The Panthers currently hold eighth place โinโข the Eastern Conference with six points after five games.
