Florida Panthers Offseason Preview: Barkov Is Healthy Again

Florida went 40-38-4 last season, finished seventh in the Atlantic, and missed the playoffs for the first time since 2019. Injuries to Aleksander Barkov, Matthew Tkachuk, Brad Marchand, Carter Verhaeghe, Sam Bennett, Seth Jones, and others made it almost impossible to compete. The response from general manager Bill Zito was aggressive: he landed Brady Tkachuk, overhauled the goaltending, and brought back a healthy roster that looks nothing like the one that limped to 84 points.

Last season in review

The numbers were ugly in ways that go beyond the record. Florida scored 251 goals and allowed 276, a negative goal differential that tells you the goaltending and defence were under serious strain. Sergei Bobrovsky finished 27-23-1 with a .877 save percentage, well below the standard he set on back-to-back Cup teams. Sam Reinhart led the team with 61 points (29 goals, 32 assists), Sam Bennett added 58 points (26 goals, 32 assists), and Carter Verhaeghe chipped in 55 points (25 goals, 30 assists). Those are solid numbers from the core, but the offence lacked depth because so many contributors were either hurt or playing through it. Barkov, the captain and engine of the whole operation, played no games at all after tearing the ACL and MCL in his right knee 20 minutes into training camp.

Ins and outs

• In: Brady Tkachuk (traded from Ottawa Senators; Florida sent the No. 9 and No. 25 picks in the 2026 NHL Draft, a conditional first-round pick in the 2029 NHL Draft, and a second-round pick in the 2027 NHL Draft)
• In: Jacob Markstrom, G (traded from New Jersey Devils for Evan Rodrigues, Jesper Boqvist, and Ben Steeves)
• In: Akira Schmid, G (traded from Vegas Golden Knights for a third-round pick in the 2028 NHL Draft; signed to a two-year contract at $2 million per season)
• In: Garnet Hathaway, F (traded from Philadelphia Flyers)
• In: Radko Gudas, D (rights traded from Anaheim Ducks; signed a six-year contract July 1)
• In: Lars Eller, F (signed one-year contract July 1)
• In: Alexander Petrovic, D (signed two-year contract July 1)
• In: Sam Lafferty, F (signed one-year, two-way contract July 1)
• Out: Sergei Bobrovsky, G (signed three-year contract with Toronto Maple Leafs)
• Out: Evan Rodrigues, F (traded to New Jersey Devils)
• Out: Jesper Boqvist, F (traded to New Jersey Devils)
• Out: Mackie Samoskevich, F (traded to Seattle Kraken)
• Out: A.J. Greer, F (traded to Anaheim Ducks)
• Out: Daniil Tarasov, G (signed with Detroit Red Wings)

The big question

Can the goaltending hold up? Bobrovsky was the backbone of two Stanley Cup runs, and replacing him with Jacob Markstrom, who posted a 3.07 goals-against average and .883 save percentage in 44 games with New Jersey last season, is a genuine risk. Markstrom was originally drafted by Florida and is entering the first season of a two-year deal, so the motivation is there, but he needs to rebound in a meaningful way for this team to go deep in May and June.

X-factor

Aleksander Barkov. He missed the entire 2025-26 season after tearing the ACL and MCL in his right knee at training camp, and his absence was felt in every single number this team posted. He is back on the ice, healthy by all accounts heading into camp, and the Panthers are a fundamentally different team when their captain is in the lineup. If Barkov plays 70-plus games at his normal level, the forward group around him, now including both Tkachuk brothers, becomes one of the deepest in the league.

Bold prediction

Florida wins the Atlantic Division and reaches the Stanley Cup Final, with the Tkachuk brothers lining up together as the most physically punishing duo in the playoffs.

The outlook

This is a team that was derailed by circumstance, not decline. The core is intact, the captain is healthy, and Zito added real pieces without gutting the prospect pool beyond what was necessary. The Panthers open the season September 29 in Raleigh, where they will watch Carolina raise its 2026 Stanley Cup banner. That is a fine place to start building a grudge.