LOS ANGELES — The Florida Panthers left Monday’s practice at Crypto.com Arena without a timetable for Aleksander Barkov’s return, with coach Paul Maurice saying the captain was meeting with doctors and the club expected firmer information Tuesday.
Barkov, 31, has been placed on long-term injured reserve after suffering an injury in Florida’s Oct. 1 overtime loss to the San Jose Sharks. Maurice pushed back on reports suggesting a 10- to 12-week absence, stressing that the Panthers do not yet have enough medical information to project a recovery date.
“If I don’t know, nobody else does,” Maurice said, advising against treating any reported timetable as settled. He added that the team needs more detail before making its own estimate.
How Barkov’s latest setback unfolded
- Barkov missed the entire 2025-26 NHL season following a right knee injury on the opening day of training camp. He underwent surgery the next day to repair his MCL and ACL.
- He returned for the current season and logged 20:32 in Florida’s Sept. 29 opener, a 1-0 overtime win against the Carolina Hurricanes.
- In his second game back, against San Jose on Oct. 1, Barkov was hurt during a power play at 8:07 of the second period. He was battling for possession in the right corner when he went down awkwardly.
- After getting to his feet, Barkov immediately called for the Zamboni doors to be opened, dropped his gloves and headed off the ice to the dressing room.
- Florida placed him on LTIR on Saturday and arranged Monday’s medical evaluation.
The Panthers have been through a lengthy Barkov absence before. Maurice said Saturday that the club would handle the situation one day at a time rather than look too far down the schedule.
Even while sidelined from Florida last season, Barkov was able to captain Finland at the 2026 IIHF World Championship in Switzerland. He recorded three goals and eight assists in 10 games as Finland won gold.
Eller takes Barkov’s spot up front
Lars Eller moved into the middle of Florida’s top line alongside Brady Tkachuk and Sam Reinhart after Barkov went out. Eller picked up an assist in Sunday’s 3-2 overtime loss to the Anaheim Ducks.
Eller said he cannot duplicate what Barkov brings to the Panthers, but intends to play his own game and support two high-end linemates. “Nobody can replace Sasha Barkov,” Eller said. “I’m not trying to do that.”
Florida did receive some encouraging lineup news in Anaheim. Brad Marchand returned from offseason lower-body surgery and scored the tying goal with 1:50 left in regulation. Defenseman Gustav Forsling also came back after missing the Sharks game with an upper-body injury.
The Panthers recalled forward Sam Lafferty and defenseman Alexander Petrovic from AHL Charlotte on Saturday, though neither dressed Sunday.
Maurice believes Florida is in a better position to absorb injuries than it was a year ago, pointing to a deeper group of experienced NHL players. The Panthers dealt with significant absences last season involving Marchand, Matthew Tkachuk, Anton Lundell, Reinhart, Jonah Gadjovich, Seth Jones, Eetu Luostarinen and Dmitry Kulikov, in addition to Barkov.
Barkov’s place in the Panthers’ run
Florida selected Barkov second overall in the 2013 NHL Draft, and he has become the franchise’s central two-way forward. Through 806 regular-season games, he has 286 goals, 496 assists and 782 points. In 94 Stanley Cup Playoff games, he has produced 25 goals and 56 assists for 81 points.
As captain, Barkov led the Panthers to consecutive Stanley Cup championships in 2024 and 2025. He has won the Selke Trophy three times — in 2020-21, 2023-24 and 2024-25 — and captured the Lady Byng Trophy in 2018-19.
Next puck drop
- Florida, 1-0-2, completes its four-game season-opening road trip Tuesday against the Los Angeles Kings at 10 p.m. ET. The game is scheduled for ESPN and SN+.
- The Panthers then return to Sunrise for their home opener Saturday against the Minnesota Wild.
