Radko Gudas of the Florida Panthers suffered a sprained ankle in the Stanley Cup Finals

The Florida Panthers have confirmed that defenseman Radko Gudas suffered a sprained ankle in the Stanley Cup Finals.

Although details were not shared, Gudas left Game 2 early after a backhand from Vegas’ Ivan Barbashev. The Panthers defender left just under seven minutes in the game and was a game time decision heading into Game 3.

Gudas was a valuable physical force for the Panthers throughout the playoffs, recording three assists and 34 penalty minutes. He averages just over 17 minutes per game in ice time, although the number is skewed due to the lack of ice time in Game 2.

The 33-year-old defender is expected to join UFA this summer, completing a three-year contract worth $2.5 million per season.

The Panthers were eliminated in Game 5 after a huge 9-3 victory for Vegas on Tuesday. It was Florida’s second loss in the Stanley Cup Finals after falling to Colorado in 1996. The Panthers had a stunning run to the Finals, beating Boston, Toronto and Carolina before finally falling against the Golden Knights.

The native of Kladno, Czechia has 164 points in 682 career regular season games with Philadelphia, Washington, Tampa Bay and Florida. The bruising defenseman also had 10 points in 58 playoff games, which included playoff moves in four straight playoff series.