FORT LAUDERDALE - Sasha Barkov is finally headed back into a normal Panthers camp, and after a season lost to knee surgery, that alone feels like a major step.
The Florida captain spent all of last season away from game action after blowing out his right knee just minutes into his first on-ice session on Sept. 25. Driving to the net on defenseman Niko Mikkola, Barkov’s knee buckled, forcing him off the ice and eventually leading to surgery to repair both his MCL and ACL.
For Barkov, the hard part wasn’t only the rehab. It was getting through a year in which every shift, every skate and every test had to be managed carefully.
“I had really good people working with me here,’’ Barkov said. “Thanks to them, everything went so smooth.
It was easy; you just don’t think too much. You come to the rink, they test you out and ask ‘what can you do today?’
That was about it. … I had a really good plan, and did not jump too far ahead.’’
Barkov spoke with members of the South Florida media on Tuesday, a day before the Panthers officially report to training camp Wednesday morning. A lot of attention will naturally land on him, because this camp marks his return after a lost season and a summer spent trying to get back to the point where hockey feels like hockey again.
That process included a return to the ice with Finland at the World Championship once Florida’s season was over. Early in that tournament, Barkov took a hard fall behind the net and immediately got a reassuring answer from his body.
“Nothing happened,’’ Barkov said. “And I was like ‘Nice.’ That’s very good news.’’
That moment mattered. So did the bigger change in perspective that came with sitting out for so long.
“I cannot take anything for granted,’’ Barkov said. “I was really excited for the season to start last year, and it was like, over.
You have to enjoy every single chance to get to play hockey, to be with your teammates. Go to every practice, every game and be excited about that.
I think that’s why I had so much fun at the World Championships. Every single practice, every single game, I was just really happy to be able to be there.
Now, same thing. I take a lot of joy into getting into the normal routine.’’
He had said something similar back in February at Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital, when he talked about trying to pull something useful from the injury.
“It has been tough,’’ Barkov said then, “but when something tough or bad happens, you try and find the positives. I don’t know.
Maybe taking a long time off here will help me in the future to come back fresher, with a fresh mind, a fresh body. Hopefully my career will last longer.
I don’t know. But these are the kind of things you think about when you go through tough moments, face adversity.’’
Now the focus shifts to a Panthers team that also enters camp healthier than it has in a while. There are still some questions, but Barkov pointed to a group that looks more complete than the one that stumbled through last season’s collapse.
Florida added former Ottawa captain Brady Tkachuk and old friend Radko Gudas, two names Barkov believes fit right in with the way the Panthers want to play.
“Those guys fit our team really well,’’ Barkov said, who is expected to line up with Tkachuk when the season opens at Carolina on Sept. 29.
“They do exactly what we’re trying to accomplish here. We want to play a simple, aggressive, fast-paced game.
Those guys fit that criteria pretty well. You would rather have those guys on your team than to be playing against them.
“We’re really excited to get it going.’’
Coach Paul Maurice has repeatedly pointed to last season’s collapse as something the Panthers can use, even with the injury context attached to it, as they head into a new year. Barkov sounded ready for that challenge, too.
“I think that’s a good year for us to use as motivation to be better, to bounce back and compete again for something big,’’ Barkov said. “Everyone has kind of been waiting to get going.
Camp is going to be hard whether it’s long or not. It’s going to be hard mentally and physically.
We’re all ready for that test, ready for this to start.’’
In Other News...
Barkov Knows Floridas Biggest Camp Change Carries Real Emotion
Training camp opened with a familiar face back in the crease picture for the Panthers, as Jacob Markstrom returns to Florida in a role that carries real weight for a team used to leaning on Sergei Bobrovsky in its recent run of Stanley Cup success. Markstrom was originally drafted by the Panthers in 2008, then reacquired from the New Jersey Devils, and his arrival gives Florida a major new storyline as camp gets underway.
For Sasha Barkov, the change is about more than just the goaltending chart. The captain made clear he appreciates what Bobrovsky meant to the team and welcomed Markstrom back into the fold, a reminder that even a hockey business decision can land with some emotion when it involves a player who helped define a championship era. Now the Panthers begin sorting out how this new look in net fits with everything else they are trying to build. [Read more 🡒]
Barkovs Return Puts New Pressure On Panthers Heading Into Camp
Aleksander Barkovs summer return has given the Panthers a timely boost as they head toward NHL training camp, where the captain is expected to pick up the thread after recovering from a right knee injury suffered during Floridas own camp last year. He was back on the ice for Finland in an exhibition game and later helped his national team win the IIHF world championship, a sign that the long rehab is behind him and the Panthers can start thinking again about what their top center means to everything they do.
For a team chasing a third Stanley Cup in four seasons, Barkovs health changes the temperature of camp before it even opens. Florida has no shortage of expectations or pressure, and Barkovs presence only heightens both, because the Panthers know the season ahead will hinge not just on getting him back, but on getting him back fully ready to lead again when the games start to matter. [Read more 🡒]
Panthers Camp Opens With An Early Roster Problem Fans Feared
Floridas training camp opened with a couple of expected names on the roster sheet, but not in the lineup. Panthers coach Paul Maurice said Brad Marchand will spend the entire month of October rehabbing from surgery, leaving the club to start the season without one of its newest pieces while it waits for him to work back from an August procedure. Marchand is still expected to return early in the year, but the timing makes for an early test of Floridas forward depth right out of the gate.
Jonah Gadjovich adds another layer to that challenge, with the winger now out indefinitely because of an upper-body injury. Gadjovichs absence is notable too because he is entering the first season of his contract extension after suffering the injury last October, and the Panthers were already going to need clarity on how their bottom-six group fits together. For a team trying to settle in quickly, the first days of camp have already turned into a reminder that the roster may not be fully formed for a while. [Read more 🡒]