Panthers receive terrible Aleksander Barkov injury news and return date
Photo credit: IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Aleksander Barkov is expected to miss 10 to 12 weeks with a new lower-body injury, putting the Florida Panthers captain on track for a December return.
The Florida Panthers got the news nobody wanted this week.
Captain Aleksander Barkov is reportedly looking at 10 to 12 weeks on the sidelines after going down in San Jose last Thursday.
Barkov was playing just his second game of the season.
He missed all of 2025-26 after tearing his ACL and MCL on the first day of training camp, so getting back on the ice was a huge moment for him and the whole team.
He got hurt battling along the boards in the second period of a 4-3 overtime loss, limped to the dressing room and never came back.
Florida placed him on long-term injured reserve Saturday, which means he'll miss at least 10 games and 24 days.
Why this one stings
The 31-year-old was a massive part of back-to-back Stanley Cup wins in 2024 and 2025.
Then the Panthers missed the playoffs without him last season.
Fair or not, that history is going to hover over every conversation about this team until he's back in the lineup.
The early signs are at least a little better than last year.
Coach Paul Maurice has said this injury is unrelated to the knee, and the team is reportedly optimistic it isn't season-ending after an MRI didn't show the worst case.
Barkov was set to see a doctor Monday, so the timeline could still move.
What happens in the meantime
Lars Eller skated on the top line after Barkov went down.
The LTIR move also gave Florida the cap room to call up Sam Lafferty and Alexander Petrovic.
Ten to 12 weeks from early October lands somewhere between mid and late December, so a return around the holidays is realistic if nothing goes sideways.
The Panthers just have to stay afloat until then.
Also read on House Of Hockey :
Red Wings situation with their fans takes a horrible turn ahead of tomorrow's Senators game
Red Wings situation with their fans takes a horrible turn ahead of tomorrow's Senators game