Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov could miss season after knee surgery

A day after he had to be helped off the ice during the Florida Panthers' first training camp practice, captain Aleksander Barkov is set to undergo knee surgery on Friday, putting his ability to play in the 2025-26 season into doubt.

The Panthers announced the update on Friday. Head coach Paul Maurice said Barkov will miss at least several months and possibly the entire season but that the team woudn't have a firm timeline until after the surgery.

The injury also likely will prevent the center from representing Finland in next February's Milano-Cortina Olympics, the first time NHL players will be participating since 2014.

"That's the big man," Maurice said of Barkov. "He's such an important place in that locker room. What we're going to get to experience now is you'll get to know some of the other leaders that we have in our room. We'll get to see other players. At the end of the day, I know there's the idea of next man up, I get all that, but there's not a next man for Barky's skates."

Since he was the second overall pick in the 2013 NHL Draft, Barkov, 30, has played his entire 12-season career with Florida. He's tallied over 70 points in each of the past four seasons and has 782 career points (286 goals, 496 assists) in 804 regular-season games.

Last season, Barkov led the Panthers in assists (51) and was second in points (71). In the Stanley Cup Playoffs, he scored six goals and added 16 assists in 23 games to lead the team to its second consecutive championship.

Barkov is the second key Panthers player who will miss extended time as the team goes for the three-peat. Forward Matthew Tkachuk (57 points in 52 games last season) will also miss the start of the season after undergoing offseason surgery to repair a torn adductor muscle. No timeline has yet been shared for his return.

--Field Level Media