Panthers Captain Exits Practice With Leg Injury

The Florida Panthers were dealt a bit of bad news this afternoon, according to Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald: their captain, Aleksander Barkov, left practice with what appears to be a right leg injury, which required him to be helped off the ice.

While it is unclear what happened, and the extent of the injury, Panthers head coach Paul Maurice is all too familiar with injuries. The next man up approach is something that he reluctantly has to believe in, as it's a part of the game.

“It’s beyond our control,” Maurice told McPherson. “We have to learn to win hockey games without good players. If that’s the adversity or the test that we face this year, then that’s what we’re going to do. I’m not a doctor, so whatever the report is won’t affect how we handle the next days. If he’s not in the lineup on Opening Night or if he misses an exhibition game or if he’s out long-term, it’s just not gonna affect that day. We’ve gotta win hockey games. We’ve gotta prep for it. That’s all.”

Barkov, of course, has been one of the busiest captains across the NHL, playing in a combined 140 regular-season games and 47 playoff games over the last two seasons. Proving his importance to the team, especially in the faceoff circle and at matching up against the opponent's best players.

Already without star forward Matthew Tkachuk, who underwent surgery to repair a torn adductor muscle and a sports hernia and isn't expected back just before the calendar flips to 2026, the Panthers, who are on everybody's radar, will have a tough start to the year if Barkov is expected to miss significant time.