Tim Thomas left Florida Panthers practice this afternoon and, hours later, the club made a move to replace him on the active roster.
Jacob Markstrom has been recalled from AHL San Antonio, the club announced on Thursday. Markstrom’s recall is on an emergency basis, so the Panthers won’t have to make an immediate roster move in order to get Markstrom active.
There appears to be some mystery surrounding what exactly ails Thomas. Florida head coach Peter Horachek only said that Thomas had to leave practice early and wasn’t sure what the injury is, according to the Miami Herald. Thomas has missed 10 games this year with groin and lower-body injuries.
Despite that, the 39-year-old has been a workhorse for the Panthers. He was the goalie of record in 14 straight games from Nov. 9 to Dec. 7 before Scott Clemmensen gave him a breather in Sunday’s 6-2 loss to Chicago.
Thomas is 9-10-1 on the year with a 2.75 GAA and .909 save percentage.