Barkov Suffers Serious Injury: How Does It Affect the Panthers?
Florida Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov will undergo surgery to repair the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) and medial collateral ligament (MCL) in his right knee. This injury could sideline him during the regular season and potentially the playoffs, a major blow to the team’s aspirations of winning their third consecutive Stanley Cup title. Barkov suffered the injury on Thursday during his first official preseason practice. The Panthers reported that the estimated recovery time for this type of surgery is seven to nine months. This means that, at a minimum, he will not be able to play before the start of the playoffs. In addition, the injury prevents him from representing his native Finland in the Milan-Cortina Olympics in February, something he was hoping and planning for.Barkov was injured 20 minutes into practice during an exercise with minimal contact.He’s a very important person in the locker room. What we’re going to experience now is getting to know other leaders we have on our team.
Paul Maurice, Panthers Coach
Last season, Barkov led the Panthers in assists with 51 and was second in points with 71. In the playoffs, he added six goals and 16 assists, contributing to Florida’s victory in their second consecutive Stanley Cup. In his 12 seasons in the NHL, he has participated in more than 86% of the Panthers’ games, including the playoffs. This is the first time he has faced an injury that could end his season. In addition to Barkov, the Panthers will also be without forward Matthew Tkachuk, who is recovering from surgery on a torn adductor muscle. There is no estimated return date for Tkachuk, but it is unlikely he will return before December. Since Tkachuk joined the Panthers in 2022, Florida has only played five games without him or Barkov in the lineup, all last October, winning three of those games. Tomas Nosek, who played an important role on the road to the Cup title last season, will also miss a considerable amount of time due to a knee injury.I know the idea is that the next man goes up. There is no next man for Barky’s skates.
Paul Maurice, Panthers Coach
Barkov is the franchise’s all-time leader for Florida in several categories, including games played (804), goals (286), assists (496), points (782), power-play goals (84), and game-winning goals (52).It’s going to be difficult. He’s our leader. There’s no replacement for Barky. Everyone has to step up. There’s no way to replace him, but it’s another challenge for our group. And we’re usually pretty good at overcoming challenges.
Carter Verhaeghe, Panthers Forward
