FORT LAUDERDALE — When Florida Panthers captain Sasha Barkov skated onto the ice in Miami for the Winter Classic on New Year’s Day just three months after having reconstructive knee surgery, it was big news.
That skate, coach Paul Maurice explained, was more of a walk through the park.
“We need to get him out of the gym,’’ Maurice said at the time, “and it’s nice for the players to see. … Him being on the ice, he’s not ahead of anything. It’s just the normal, like a Sunday walk.
“He was just moving around the ice. But it is nice for him to be a part of it.’’
On Tuesday, Barkov did a little bit more than just take a casual stroll.
Barkov was one of four injured Panthers on the ice for a post-morning skate workout at the IcePlex.
He was joined by Dmitry Kulikov, Tomas Nosek, and Jonah Gadjovich.
Defenseman Seth Jones was not among them.
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Kulikov (shoulder) and Gadjovich (upper body/undisclosed) are thought to be returning to the Florida lineup after the Olympic break in March.
Barkov and Nosek, however, are going to be out a little bit longer.
Both players sustained major knee injuries before the season started — Nosek during the offseason and Barkov on his first on-ice session on training camp in September.
Barkov is not expected to return to the Panthers until the postseason if Florida does not put him on full long-term injured reserve before.
Still, as Maurice noted earlier this month, having Barkov back on the ice was good to see.
The Panthers most recently got Matthew Tkachuk and Brad Marchand back.
Sasha Barkov back on the ice today in Fort Lauderdale with other long-term injured players Dmitry Kulikov, Jonah Gadjovich, and Tomas Nosek. pic.twitter.com/rOYaFLESFn
— George Richards (@GeorgeRichards) January 27, 2026
On Tuesday, Barkov seemed to skate a little gingerly before going into a full stride.
This certainly does not indicate an imminent return.
General manager Bill Zito has said the initial recovery time of 7-9 months remains intact and that Barkov would not come back earlier than that.
After having his MCL and ACL surgically repaired, that is certainly understandable.
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