The news that Aleksander Barkov will all but assuredly miss all of the 2025-26 season after undergoing surgery on Friday to repair the ACL and MCL in right knee was tough for the Florida Panthers to hear. The mood on the ice and in the dressing room was somber Thursday when Barkov crumbled to the ice following a noncontact drill and had to be helped off the ice by two team staff members.
But the Panthers know they can’t afford to spend too much time wallowing.
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“You get one day to be sad,” Panthers coach Paul Maurice said Friday.
Florida, after all, still has all its hopes in front of it. The Panthers are still going to compete to be the first team since the 1980s to win at least three consecutive Stanley Cup championships.
The road, however, did just got a lot tougher.
Playing without their captain in Barkov, one of the NHL’s best two-way centers and the backbone of the roster, adds a major hurdle to their hopes to once again contend for a title because of everything he does for them.
Barkov, whose timeline for recovery is seven to nine months, is the heartbeat of the team. He’s their top-line center, a three-time winner of the Selke Trophy given annually to the league’s top defensive forward, a tireless worker, one of the main players who exemplifies the way the Panthers play under Maurice.
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“We feel horrible, horrible for Sasha,” Panthers president of hockey operations and general manager Bill Zito said. “Obviously, most of you know the impact that it will have on him and his love for the game and his love for the Panthers, but it’s something we have to get over. It’s a huge blow.”
How does a team possibly attempt to fill that void?
“You’ve got to move on as a team,” center Anton Lundell said. “It’s time for everybody to step up.”
That’s exactly how the Panthers are going to have to operate.
No singular player can effectively replace everything Barkov brings to the rink. His absence is amplified even more by the fact that star winger Matthew Tkachuk will miss considerable time as well as he recovers from offseason surgery to repair a torn adductor muscle and sports hernia he sustained in February and played through during Florida’s playoff run to a second consecutive Stanley Cup.
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So where do they start?
It begins with figuring out their center depth. Sam Bennett and Lundell will hold down the top two spots.
Florida Panthers center Sam Bennett (9) looks to pass the puck as Carolina Hurricanes center Sebastian Aho (20) defends in the second period of Game 4 during the Eastern Conference final of the NHL Stanley Cup playoffs at Amerant Bank Arena on Monday, May 26, 2025, in Sunrise, Fla.
The Panthers in practices since Barkov’s injury have run Bennett with Carter Verhaeghe and Sam Reinhart on his wings, a line with firepower but one that hasn’t played a whole lot together at five-on-five. Over the past three regular seasons, the trio of Verhaeghe, Bennett and Reinhart has played just over 62 minutes together when the game is at full strength, according to the advanced hockey statistics website Natural Stat Trick.
“We’re gonna have to get some chemistry,” Verhaehge said. “I’ve played with both of them, so I think I know pretty good deal of how to play with both of them, but playing with them together, it’s gonna be something new. They’re both really talented players, so I think when you get talented players like that together, they usually find a way to make things work. I’m excited. It’s going to be a different look if it stays together.”
Florida Panthers center Anton Lundell (15) goes after the puck as Edmonton Oilers center Adam Henrique (19), left, attempts to take possession during the first period of Game 4 in the NHL Stanley Cup Final series at Amerant Bank Arena on Thursday, June 12, 2025, in Sunrise, Fla.
It appears at least for now that Lundell will continue to center a line that includes Eetu Luostarinen and Brad Marchand on the wings. That was one of Florida’s most effective lines in the playoffs last season, with the trio outscoring opponents 13-4 in 210 minutes of postseason action.
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“It’s opportunity to bring something even more to the table,” Lundell said. “It’s something I want to take as a good challenge and just try to play my whole game and help the team as much as I can.”
Florida’s center depth will be tested from there, especially with usual fourth-line center Tomas Nosek out multiple months to begin the season.
Florida Panthers centers Evan Rodrigues (17) and Aleksander Barkov (16) talk during a timeout against Carolina Hurricanes in the second period of Game 4 during the Eastern Conference final of the NHL Stanley Cup playoffs at Amerant Bank Arena on Monday, May 26, 2025, in Sunrise, Fla.
At practice, Maurice ran Evan Rodrigues as the third-line center with Jesper Boqvist and Mackie Samoskevich on his wings. Luke Kunin centered the fourth line.
But Maurice knows he has Luostarinen and Reinhart who can can move from wing to center if needed so lineups will likely be fluid to start the season.
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“We’ve got lots of coverage there,” Maurice said.
And then there’s the leadership aspect. Barkov and Tkachuk are two of Florida’s biggest presences in that regard, Barkov in a show-don’t-tell fashion with his work ethic and Tkachuk vocally. With both out to start the season, look to the likes of Marchand and defenseman Aaron Ekblad to be the main veteran voices in the dressing room.
“Our team has so many great players, and we had guys last year that didn’t even get to play sometimes that deserve to play,” Verhaeghe said. “It gives some guys an opportunity. We’re a really good team. Obviously it’s gonna hurt a lot. It hurts losing Barky, but it’s just a challenge for us.”