Panthers’ Barkov leaves game against Sharks with apparent leg injury

Not even a week into their season, the Florida Panthers might have been hit with a worst-case scenario.

In Thursday’s road game against the San Jose Sharks, Panthers center Aleksander Barkov suffered an apparent leg injury which forced him to leave for the dressing room.

The injury occured during a Panthers power play roughly midway through the second period. In a seemingly routine battle for the puck in the corner, Barkov’s left leg buckled awkwardly underneath him, causing him to fall to the ice and momentarily reach for his left ankle.

Barkov, 31, missed all of last season with injuries to his ACL and MCL in his right knee. His absence was a major factor in Florida having an atypically down year and missing the playoffs, and his return this season was a leading cause for the belief that the Panthers would jump right back to the top of the Atlantic Division.

If Barkov did suffer an injury to his left leg as it appears, it would not be a reaggravation or reinjury to his previous right knee injury.

The Finnish national played about 20 and a half minutes in Florida’s season opener on Tuesday, going pointless in a 1-0 overtime win against the Carolina Hurricanes. He also was able to play at the 2026 IIHF World Championship in May, putting up three goals and eight assists for 11 points in 10 games while captaining Finland to a gold medal.

Selected by the Panthers second overall in the 2013 NHL Entry Draft, Barkov is in his 13th season for the franchise and eighth as the captain. As a three-time Selke Trophy winner, Barkov is arguably the best two-way center in the world, and led Florida to back-to-back Stanley Cups championships in 2024 and 2025.

After Thursday’s game in San Jose, the Panthers will continue their four-game road trip when they visit the Anaheim Ducks on Sunday.