It's official: Barkov will miss the rest of Panthers' season

As expected, the Panthers will be without Alexsander Barkov, their captain and most valuable player, for the entire season.

Panther coach Paul Maurice confirmed that Barkov, yet to play in the 2025-26 season, will not participate in any of the remaining nine games of the season, as the Panthers play out the string.

"They give you a two-month window on these knee injuries," Maurice said. "He'll get inside that two-month window, but we'll take the whole two months before he plays a hockey game again. If we put him in at 7 (weeks) and something happens, then that doesn't make much sense so we'll let him go straight through the entire rehab process."

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

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

In the 2024-25 NHL regular season, Barkov recorded 71 points (20 goals, 51 assists) in 67 games, maintaining a +1 plus-minus rating. He added 22 points (6 goals, 16 assists) in 23 playoff games, helping the Panthers win their second consecutive Stanley Cup against the Edmonton Oilers.

Barkov tore his right ACL and MCL during training camp, requiring surgery in late September 2025. .

He began skating on his own in January 2026 and began practicing with the team in a non-contact jersey in early March. He vowed to return by the playoffs at the latest, but it was clear the Panthers were not going there -- a result not only of his injury but also of injuries to Seth Jones, Matthew Tkachuk, Brad Marchand and many other key contributors from the most recent Stanley Cup run. As Maurice recently said, after Evan Rodrigues was the latest victim, the most dangerous job in the world at the moment was playing for the Florida Panthers.

A slight exaggeration perhaps, but comedy has been needed during a challenging season.

All that matters now is Barkov being fully healthy by training camp, and he appears on the way to doing so; most indications were that he was ahead in his rehabilitation. And, perhaps, the Panthers losing just enough to keep their top-10 protected draft choice, for a quick reload.