Bagging 22 points in 23 postseason games, Aleksander Barkov was undoubtedly one of the main driving forces behind the Panthers’ second-straight Stanley Cup win last season. Naturally, with the elusive three-peat on the table, Cats’ fans had hoped to see their beloved Finnish captain lead the charge into the history books. However, as fate would have it, Barky will need to remain on the sidelines for most of the season, and things are looking grim already.
Just a few hours ago, via a post on X, the official Florida Panthers’ social media handle confirmed that their 29-year-old center picked up an injury at practice and will be decommissioned off the ice for the foreseeable future. “Florida Panthers Captain Aleksander Barkov suffered injuries to his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) and medial collateral ligament (MCL) at yesterday’s practice,” the post notes, before revealing that the Finn has already undergone a successful knee surgery at the Baptist Health Doctors Hospital.
But here’s the big blow: “The expected recovery timeline for these injuries is 7 to 9 months,” the social media update dropped the bomb on the fans. And with that, thoughts of the three-peat seem to be slipping away already. The news came as such a shcok that even the Cats’ foes seemed to be reeling from it. “That’s probably gonna do it for the three peat I hate the panthers but they should at least get a shot at history,” one hockey connoisseur felt the anguish as much as the reigning NHL champs.
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