Barkov Is Back, and the Panthers Are Smiling Again

Florida's captain, who tore his right ACL and MCL just 20 minutes into last year's training camp, is skating again and enjoying it.

Hockey.comSep 23, 2026

File photo: Florida Panthers centre Aleksander Barkov (16) skates with the puck against the Carolina Hurricanes during a Sept. 22, 2026 preseason game in Raleigh. — James Guillory-Imagn Images

Aleksander Barkov is back on the ice in Fort Lauderdale, and the thing his teammates keep mentioning is not his passing or his faceoffs. It is the smile.

"It's awesome to see him happy, see him smile sometimes, and just enjoy playing hockey right now," Panthers forward Anton Lundell said.

Barkov, who captained the Panthers to the Stanley Cup in 2024 and 2025, sat out the entire last season after tearing his right ACL and MCL barely 20 minutes into training camp. The Panthers missed the playoffs. He stayed in town for home games, where Florida won 23 times, a total topped by only nine other clubs, but skipped the road trips because of his rehab schedule. Florida won just 17 games away from home, the eighth lowest total in the league.

"Anytime you can add a top three player in the world, that's definitely a good thing," Matthew Tkachuk said. "So, we're welcoming him back with open arms."

Aaron Ekblad is looking forward to the simple part of it. "I'm excited to just throw pucks up the middle of the ice. It could be hip-high or off his boots and he'll find a way to grab it."

Coach Paul Maurice said he leaned on Barkov more than the other way around, and admitted he missed having the option.

"He makes the coach better, because I can be wrong," Maurice said. "But all I've got to do is put Barky on the ice and none of you guys are going to call me out on it, right? 'Hey, Barky, you're up.' How hard is that, right?"

Barkov has never scored 40 goals or reached 100 points, and his best finish in the scoring race is 10th. Over his most recent 10 seasons he had 722 points, 485 hits and 463 blocked shots, and no other NHL player hit all three of those marks in that span.

He is not interested in the framing. "You just have to enjoy every single chance you get to play hockey, to be with your teammates, to go to every single practice, every single game," Barkov said. "You've got to be excited about that."

Florida is scheduled to visit Anaheim on Oct. 4 for the Ducks' home opener.