The Florida Panthers may already be dealing with a gut punch barely into the new season.
Aleksander Barkov left Thursday’s road game against the San Jose Sharks after suffering what appeared to be a leg injury, heading to the dressing room after an awkward moment in the second period.
The play came during a Panthers power play around the middle of the second. Barkov was in a fairly ordinary battle for the puck in the corner when his left leg buckled under him, sending him to the ice. He briefly grabbed at his left ankle before getting up and exiting.
That kind of sight is hard to ignore for Florida, especially with Barkov back in the lineup this season after missing all of last year. The 31-year-old was sidelined because of ACL and MCL injuries in his right knee, and his absence played a major role in the Panthers’ unusually rough season and missed playoff berth. His return was one of the biggest reasons expectations shot back up for Florida entering this year.
If this is a left-leg issue, it would not be a repeat of the right knee injury that wiped out his previous season.
Barkov had already logged about 20 and a half minutes in Florida’s opener Tuesday, a 1-0 overtime win over the Carolina Hurricanes, though he did not record a point. He also suited up for Finland at the 2026 IIHF World Championship in May, finishing with three goals and eight assists for 11 points in 10 games while captaining his country to a gold medal.
Now in his 13th season with the Panthers and eighth as captain, Barkov has been a franchise centerpiece since Florida took him second overall in the 2013 NHL Entry Draft. The three-time Selke Trophy winner is widely regarded as one of the game’s premier two-way centers and helped lead the Panthers to back-to-back Stanley Cups in 2024 and 2025.
In Other News...
Panthers Suddenly Face A Barkov Concern They Feared Most
Floridas captain was forced out of Thursdays game against the San Jose Sharks after suffering a left leg injury, a troubling moment for a player the Panthers had only just welcomed back into the NHL lineup after a long recovery from reconstructive surgery. Sasha Barkov did not return, leaving the reigning champions to absorb another hit to the center of their identity at a time when his presence means so much on and off the ice.
Coach Paul Maurice said Barkov will be evaluated on Friday, and the club should have a clearer read on the situation by Friday afternoon. The encouraging part for Florida is that the injury is not tied to Barkovs previous right knee issue, but any setback involving the captain will be watched closely after he spent the prior season sidelined and then helped Finland to a gold medal at the IIHF World Championship. [Read more 🡒]
Panthers Have A Bigger Worry Than Another Frustrating OT Loss
The Panthers had already given themselves plenty to digest after a 4-3 overtime loss to the Sharks, erasing a three-goal deficit and forcing San Jose to work for every bit of its win. Floridas third-period surge was the kind of response that usually leaves a team feeling better about the night, even if the points did not follow, and it briefly shifted attention away from what had been a rough start.
Sasha Barkovs exit in the second period changed the tone fast, though, because the captain was gone before Florida finished its comeback. Any injury concern around Barkov carries extra weight for the Panthers, who know how much their center drives the group when he is on the ice, and the sight of him leaving left a much bigger question hanging over the result than another frustrating overtime loss. [Read more 🡒]
Panthers Showed Fight But One Troubling Sign Overshadowed Everything
The Panthers gave themselves a chance after falling behind by three, climbing all the way back to make a game of it before the night turned in overtime against San Jose. For a team that has spent plenty of time building its identity around resilience, there was at least some encouragement in the pushback, even if the result still came away as a 4-3 loss.
What lingered, though, was the sight of Aleksander Barkov leaving the game after an injury during play, a development that immediately put the focus somewhere far more important than the final score. Florida can absorb a hard loss in October, but anything that threatens its captain carries a very different kind of weight, especially with the Panthers still trying to sort out the impact of a night that mixed fight with concern. [Read more 🡒]