Florida captain Aleksander Barkov has a lower-body injury and is expected to miss six to eight weeks. Coach Paul Maurice said surgery will not be needed.
Florida Panthers forward Aleksander Barkov will miss six to eight weeks after a lower-body injury in a 4-3 overtime loss to the San Jose Sharks. The NHL said the 31-year-old captain fell awkwardly while battling for the puck in the second period, then asked for the Zamboni doors to be opened and left for the locker room. The team placed him on long-term injured reserve.
Coach Paul Maurice said Barkov will not need surgery. The six-to-eight-week estimate is the team’s best window and could change. The injury came in Barkov’s second game of the 2026-27 season. He missed all of the previous season with a right-knee injury and had surgery to repair his medial collateral and anterior cruciate ligaments.
Barkov returned with Finland at the world championship in May, serving as captain and recording 11 points in 10 games as the team won gold. He has 782 points—286 goals and 496 assists—in 806 NHL regular-season games. He is a three-time Selke Trophy winner and won the Stanley Cup with Florida in 2024 and 2025.