Florida Panthers announce return timeline for Aleksander Barkov's injury

Barkov suffered the injury after an awkward collision with the boards while racing Ottawa's Tim Stutzle to a loose puck that led to an empty-net goal.

Pagnotta reports that although the injury is serious, Barkov seems to have avoided the worst-case scenario.

Barkov's impact on the Panthers is immense. He's been the team's top center since 2017-18, consistently playing over 20 minutes per game and scoring at over a point-per-game pace in each of the last seven seasons. He's earned several accolades, including the Lady Byng Trophy in 2019, the Selke Trophy in 2021 and 2024, and the Stanley Cup in 2024. So far this season, Barkov has one assist in two games, along with three blocked shots and one hit.

Replacing Barkov will be a big challenge for the Panthers. Sam Bennett has been the team's second line center but Florida could rely on versatile players like Sam Reinhart, Carter Verhaeghe or Evan Rodrigues to step into the center role. This situation also presents an opportunity for 23 year old Anton Lundell. Though Lundell has played less than 17 minutes in each of the Panthers games this season he has shown strong two-way play and even received Selke Trophy votes in his rookie year. With a 54.9% faceoff win rate last season Lundell could help fill the gap while the Panthers manage without their captain.