Panthers’ Aleksander Barkov to miss 7-9 months with ACL, MCL injuries

The regular season hasn’t even begun, but the Florida Panthers‘ injury problems continue to worsen.

The Panthers got some horrible news on Friday, as they learned that captain and center Aleksander Barkov will miss seven to nine months due to injuries to his ACL and MCL.

Barkov sustained the injury during practice on Thursday, and needed help off the ice, so there was already a bad feeling about how long he’d be out. The most optimistic timeline for return has him out until at least the end of April, which would mean he’s out until the playoffs, while the most pessimistic timeline has him out until the end of June, which would be all of the playoffs as well.

Barkov’s injury adds to an already concerning list to start the season for the Panthers, as star winger Matthew Tkachuk is also out until at least December with a torn abductor that he originally sustained at the 4 Nations Face-Off, but didn’t get surgery on until after the playoffs. In addition, center Thomas Nosek is also set to miss some time after suffering a knee injury during the offseason.

The big question will be if there is a possibility of a return for Barkov in the playoffs. With the new playoff salary cap rule in place this season, the Panthers won’t be able to add players that replace his $10 million cap hit if he plans on returning at some point in the playoffs. However, if he’s not returning for the playoffs either, they can at least use that space to lessen the damage of his absence.

This injury also means that Barkov will miss out on the opportunity to play for Finland in the Olympic Games in a full-time role for the first time in his career. He did play two games for Finland the last time NHL players played in the Olympics in 2014, but was obviously expected to play a bigger role this time around, especially as one of the six players already named to the roster.

Barkov is coming off of another excellent season with the Panthers, with 20 goals and 51 assists for 71 points in 67 games in the regular season, as well as six goals and 16 assists for 22 points in 23 playoff games on route to the Panthers’ second-straight Stanley Cup win.

The Panthers continue their preseason action on Monday when they host the Carolina Hurricanes at 6 p.m. EST. Florida is currently 1-2-0 in three preseason games. The kick off their regular season on Tuesday, October 7th when they host the Chicago Blackhawks at 5 p.m. EST.