If the Florida Panthers are going to complete their three-peat, they’re likely going to have to do it without their captain for the entire regular season, and possibly the postseason too.
The Panthers announced Friday that Aleksander Barkov underwent surgery to repair ACL and MCL injuries and is expected to be out for seven to nine months. A seven-month return would mean Barkov coming back in late April, around the start of the NHL playoffs.
The injury also means Barkov will miss the 2026 Winter Olympics for his native Finland.
Barkov sustained the injury during practice Thursday, falling awkwardly into a defensive player and needing to be carried off the ice.
Panthers head coach Paul Maurice didn’t hide what the loss of Barkov does to the Panthers:
Obviously, Barkov has been a pivotal part of the Panthers’ two championships in the last two seasons, posting at least 20 goals and 50 assists in each while earning his second and third Selke Trophy as the most defensively skilled forward. At 30 years old, he is the franchise’s leader in games played (804), goals (286), assists (496), points (782) and game-winning goals (52) after 12 seasons.
Oddsmakers certainly don’t love the Panthers’ chances to overcome the loss, as the team slipped from an NHL-best +600 odds earlier this week to +1000, tied for fifth, on Friday.
The Panthers were already facing the absence of another All-Star in Matthew Tkachuk, who underwent surgery for a torn adductor muscle and sports hernia last month and will miss the start of the season. ESPN notes that the Panthers have been without both Barkov and Tkachuk for a total of only five games since Tkachuk joined the team in 2022.
Florida is scheduled to open preseason on Monday, with its season opener against the Chicago Blackhawks on Oct. 7.