‘We’re really deep right now’: Panthers’ Barkov reflects on team’s playoff run
As the captain of the Florida Panthers since the 2018-2019 season, Aleksandr Barkov has been through quite a lot with the organization that made him the No. 2 overall pick in the 2013 NHL draft.
That includes a Presidents’ Trophy-winning campaign in 2021-2022 that ended in a playoff disappointment that sparked the organization to make the changes it needed to become a perennial powerhouse.
Now, the Panthers are gearing up for their third straight Stanley Cup Final and a shot at back-to-back Cup wins with new contributors like Brad Marchand and Seth Jones in tow.
Speaking with the press at Tuesday’s media day event, Barkov reflected on the journey and what separates this team from the rest he’s been on.
“We’ve learned a lot,” Barkov said. “Every single game you learn a lot. Obviously when you get that far and play in the finals and those things happen, you learn how to manage your emotions. That’s very important.
The Panthers made quick work of their rival Tampa Bay Lightning in five games in the first round, but the Toronto Maple Leafs pushed them to the brink in the second round.
Florida rallied back from down 2-0, but a blown Game 6 on home ice necessitated a winner-take-all Game 7 that the Panthers dominated.
“I think you learn the most about the opponent and about yourself and how to manage your emotions and your game and be better in the next game,” Barkov said. “So I think we played our best game in Game 7, which tells a lot about our growth in that series.”
The second round victory set up a rematch of the 2023 Eastern Conference Final against the Carolina Hurricanes. Up 3-0 in the series, Florida gave the Hurricanes some life in Game 4, but snuffed out a Carolina comeback by rallying from down 2-0 in Game 5 to get back to the Stanley Cup Final.
The Panthers overwhelmed the Hurricanes with their depth, showcased by the fact that eight different Panther forwards have produced at least 12 points on this run.
“I think we’re really deep right now,” Barkov added. “All the lines can do everything, can produce offensively, can be reliable defensively. And our defensive core, same thing, everyone can do anything that’s asked for. So it’s tough to compare teams from the past for me. I always try to turn the next page and that stuff.
Florida will certainly need to call upon that depth to repeat as champions against an Edmonton Oilers team that is deeper than ever before in its own right— while still having the two best players in the world at the top of the lineup in Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl.