Trouble in Paradise: Panthers Lose Aleksander Barkov
Florida Panthers Captain Aleksander Barkov Lost for the Season
The Florida Panthers had a goal in mind coming into this season, and that was to try to three-peat as Stanley Cup Champions. It was already an uphill task with Matthew Tkachuk out, at least until December or January. Still, now there is Trouble in Paradise, as the Panthers will be without captain and number one center Aleksander Barkov.
On Friday, most likely Thursday, the Florida Panthers received some bad news on Barkov. After falling to the ice on Thursday, he needed help to get off the ice because he did not put any weight on his right leg.
It was announced that Barkov had surgery to repair a torn ACL and MCL that he suffered on Thursday and will be out 7-9 months. This puts Barkov’s entire season in jeopardy. He is out at least the regular season, if not longer.
This was a harmless-looking play, as Barkov tried to make a move on Niko Mikkola, and it appears he caught an end and went down. It is rare to see a non-contact injury in hockey, but those are the injuries that cause the most damage.
This is such a blow to the Florida Panthers. Not only is Aleksander Barkov the captain of the team, but he is also the heart and soul. Barkov sets the tone, and everyone falls in line. During the Stanley Cup Final, when speaking to the players, they would talk about how Barkov set the tone in the locker room.
They knew, whether that player came up through the Panthers system or came over from another team via a trade, that locker room belonged to Barkov. His voice, along with that of head coach Paul Maurice, carried significant weight with the players. It is going to be hard to replace a player of Barkov’s calibre.
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The Panthers know they can’t replace him. He is irreplaceable.
“I know the idea is next man up,” Maurice said on Friday to reporters. “There’s not a next man for Barky’s skates.”
Again, Barkov may come off like a quiet lead, but the way he plays the game is exactly how every player on the team plays the game. They all fall in line behind Barkov. He is the standard. His mindset enabled a winning culture to be established in Florida over the past several years, with three trips to the Stanley Cup Final.
The Florida Panthers are going to be put to the test this season.
“There is no hiding it. That’s a hole and that’s the big man, right?” Maurice told the media on Friday. He’s such an important person in that locker room. I think what we’re going to get to experience now is you’ll get to know some of the other leaders that we have in our room.”
Last season with the Florida Panthers, Aleksander Barkov recorded 71 points (20 goals and 51 assists). En route to Florida’s second consecutive Stanley Cup, Barkov recorded 22 points (six goals and 16 assists). He is averaging around 21 minutes of ice time for the Panthers, not to mention his faceoff winning percentage is around 55 percent.
That will be hard to replace. Barkov is everywhere on the ice, which is why he has won back-to-back Selke Trophies as the best two-way forward in the NHL. Just look at what he did against Connor McDavid the last two years in the Stanley Cup Final. He does it all, playing in all situations from five-on-five to the power play and the penalty kill.
It was already challenging not to have a top-line winger like Matthew Tkachuk in the lineup, given his goal-scoring and physical presence. However, losing a number-one center like Aleksander Barkov makes it even more daunting for the Florida Panthers to find their players.
Not only has his season been lost as a member of the Florida Panthers, but he will also have to wait to play for Team Finland at the Olympics again. Although he has worn the Finnish jersey before, most recently at the Four Nations Faceoff, his last appearance at the Olympics was in 2014, when he won a bronze medal.
The upcoming 2026 Olympics will mark the first time since 2014 that NHL players have been allowed to participate in the Olympics. While Barkov was named to the Finnish team as part of the first six, it is unlikely that he will play, given his recovery time.
So he will have to wait until the 2028 World Cup of Hockey and then the 20230 Olympics to represent his country.
So you feel bad for such a likable player in the league. It will be interesting to see how the Florida Panthers handle the loss of Aleksander Barkov in their lineup. There is a chance he could return if the team makes it to the Stanley Cup Final, but that is a big if right now. They have to get to the playoffs first, and that will be no easy task.
While the team has the depth to overcome injuries, how many injuries are too many to overcome?
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