It didn’t take long before adversity hit Aleksander Barkov, Brad Marchand, and the Florida Panthers. With the 2025-26 NHL season on the horizon, a potential injury on the captain could threaten the Cats’ hopes of a Stanley Cup three-peat.
The air in Sunrise suddenly grew thicker. After a summer-long celebration after back-to-back Stanley Cups, the Panthers are now staring down a potentially season-changing hurdle. It’s not like Marchand, Barkov, and the Cats haven’t grown used to them, but it might be more than the team can take.
With Matthew Tkachuk on the NHL’s long-term injured reserve (LTIR), Marchand and the forwards group knew they’d have to work overtime. Now, those extra hours might only multiply.
“Aleksander Barkov sustained an apparent right leg injury during training camp on Thursday,” as reported by the Miami Herald. “It’s unclear what caused the injury but Barkov laid on the ice for several minutes before being helped to dressing room by two staff members. Barkov put very little weight on his right leg while leaving the ice.“
From left to right: Carter Verhaeghe, Brad Marchand, and Aleksander Barkov hug
Not again
Unfortunately, for as much success the Panthers have found under Barkov’s captaincy, the Finn has struggled to stay fully healthy in recent years. Though the severity of his injury remains unknown, it could spell troubling news for Marchand and company.
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If Barkov indeed misses considerable time and the beginning of the NHL regular season, it’ll be the sixth-straight campaign he is physically unable to participate in every game. Barkov last played 82 games in a season during the 2018-19 campaign.
Needless to say, the Panthers have enough firepower and experience in their ranks to weather any storm. However, missing the three-time Frank J. Selke Trophy winner is far from ideal when the rest of the league is already coming for Florida’s crown.
Panthers’ Brad Marchand skates with the puck.
Defend the territory
With Matthew Tkachuk and Tomas Nosek both expected to miss large stretches of the year, teams may start to smell blood. It’s up to the Cats to stand up to the challenge and hold their ground. At the very least, until their big guns return to the ice, whenever that may be. Head coach Paul Maurice made sure to send that message across the locker room.
“He will get looked at today. It’s beyond our control,” Maurice said, per Miami Herald. “We have to learn to win hockey games without good players. If that’s the adversity or the test that we face this year, then that’s what we’re going to do. I’m not a doctor, so whatever the report is won’t affect how we handle the next days.
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“If [Barkov is] not in the lineup on Opening Night or if he misses an exhibition game or if he’s out long-term, it’s just not gonna affect that day. We’ve got to win hockey games. We’ve got to prep for it. That’s all.”
Fight for the throne
Florida might look debilitated, but make no mistake: this isn’t the Panthers’ first rodeo. Missing key players to start the season has been a common theme in recent years, and there should be no need to remind anybody how these last seasons have gone for the Cats. If you go for the king, you best not miss—and now might be the best time to deliver a strike on the reigning back-to-back champs. Bear in mind, though, the Cup is not won in October.
SurveyIs Florida any less favorite to win the Cup if Barkov is out for a long stretch of the season?
Is Florida any less favorite to win the Cup if Barkov is out for a long stretch of the season?
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