Panthers Players React to Concerning Aleksander Barkov Development

Barkov led Florida in assists last season with 51 and finished second in points with 71. He added 22 more during the playoffs as the Panthers won their second straight Cup. Over 12 seasons, he has become the franchise leader in goals, assists, and points.

Head coach Paul Maurice admitted the void Barkov's absence will create in Florida's lineup is massive.

“There’s no hiding it, that’s a hole,” Maurice said. “That’s the big man, right? Has such an important place in that locker room. I know there’s the idea, ‘next man up,’ but there’s not a next man for Barky’s skates.”

On Saturday, teammates voiced both disappointment and determination. Defenseman Aaron Ekblad called it a turning point.

“Obviously losing Barky is a huge loss,” Ekblad said. “There’s no way to replace him. At the end of the day, it might just make our games a little more of a grind. That’ll be fun, something to rally around.”

Forward Anton Lundell echoed the leadership theme, saying the Panthers still have strong voices inside their locker room.

“We have a lot of leaders in the room,” Lundell said. “It’s not going to be quiet in the room. We have a good group of guys.”

Veteran forward Brad Marchand underlined how the group will respond to outsiders doubting the team's chances at a three-peat.

“He’s the best two-way player in the game,” Marchand said. “You can’t replace that. But collectively as a group, you just try to all pick up a little piece of that, and hopefully as a group, you can come together.”

Florida will also start the season without winger Matthew Tkachuk, sidelined until December after offseason adductor surgery, leaving the Panthers without their captain and one of their leading scorers when they open their regular season on October 7 against the Chicago Blackhawks.