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Report: Panthers likely won’t have Trocheck, Kampfer until Game 5 at the earliest

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Jeremy Roenick shares his thoughts on how Jaromir Jagr has been able to play in the NHL at a high level for 21 years and just how dangerous the Panthers can be in the playoffs.

The New York Islanders have gotten some encouraging news on the injury front, but the Florida Panthers haven’t been as fortunate heading into the two squads’ first round series.

Defenseman Steven Kampfer and forward Vincent Trocheck will both probably miss at least the first four games of the playoffs, per the Sun Sentinel’s Harvey Fialkov. Both are still wearing walking boots.

Losing Kampfer means that the Panthers will be operating with less defensive depth, but obviously the bigger setback is the absence of Trocheck. The 22-year-old forward enjoyed a breakout season where he scored 25 goals and 53 points in 76 contests.

Or to put it in Jaromir Jagr’s terms after Trocheck was hurt on March 29, “He was our best player for a long time. ... Not only we lost this game, we lost our best player.”

Florida won the Atlantic Division this season, but the Panthers have plenty to prove given that this is just their second trip to the postseason in their last 15 campaigns. On top of that, the last time the Panthers won a playoff series was in 1996.

Related: More injury information about playoff teams.