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Aleksander Barkov is back.... but will he play?

The Panthers captain takes another stride forward

Ethan J. Skolnick

Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

You can clearly point to the moment the Florida Panthers' championship defense derailed.

It was when Aleksander Barkov's knee buckled.

That happened in practice at Baptist Health Training Facility in September, and the subsequent surgery to repair two ligaments (ACL and MCL), and the likelihood that the Panthers captain would miss most if not all of the regular season, was too much for Florida to overcome. That's why, with roughly a month left, the Panthers have essentially waved the white flag on 2025-26 and are looking to be refreshed and reloaded for next season.

So, actually, what happened Tuesday morning was as important as anything that will happen Tuesday night -- as the Panthers host the Detroit Red Wings -- or in any of the games that follow.

Barkov was back on the ice in a meaningful way.

Barkov has been skating, but Tuesday's morning skate -- back on the same ice where he was injured -- was his first time participating in a practice with the team. He wore a non-contact jersey. He came out of it no worse for wear.

Does that mean he will play this season?

On the surface, it doesn't make sense to risk re-injury when the Panthers are essentially playing out the string, and especially as they'll be doing so with an increasingly limited roster -- Brad Marchand could be shut down due to a lower body injury, and even the uber-durable Sam Reinhart is missing Tuesday's game and could miss more going forward. Some of the players who will be playing their place won't be around next season, and certainly not in prominent roles, so it wouldn't seem as necessary for Barkov to build or rebuild chemistry.

But Barkov is ultra-competitive, so he may try to get a few shifts in before the summer, to regain full confidence in his body.

As much as he's been appreciated in South Florida for all he's accomplished, the longest-tenured current professional athlete and one who can captained the Panthers to two Stanley Cup, he's been even more appreciated in his absence.

The Panthers missed him offensively this season, but even more for his two-way talents, as the defense slipped considerably without Barkov's backchecking gifts.

All that matters now is him being fully healthy by training camp, and he appears on the way to doing so. No trade acquisition the Panthers could have made would have been more significant.

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Ethan J. Skolnick
ETHAN J. SKOLNICK

Ethan is the CEO of Five Reasons Sports Network, based in South Florida and manages the OnSI sites for the Florida Panthers, Miami Heat, Orlando Magic, Indiana Pacers, Memphis Grizzlies and Milwaukee Bucks. Previously, he wrote for all the major newspapers in South Florida as well as Bleacher Report, and was an afternoon drive radio host. He has a B.A. from The Johns Hopkins University and an M.S. from Columbia University.

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