Sports
Panthers rule out Aleksander Barkov for rest of season
The Florida Panthers captain was ruled out for the remainder of the 2025-26 season by head coach Paul Maurice on Sunday.
Barkov has been practising with the team for weeks, leading to some speculation he could return during the final stretch. Maurice shut down that speculation.
“I don’t think so. Not in this situation,” he said, per Florida Hockey Now. “If (his timeline) is six-to-eight (months) and we put him in at seven and something happens, that doesn’t make much sense. We’ll let him go straight through the entire rehab process.”
Barkov has yet to play this season after tearing his ACL and MCL on the first day of training camp in September.
Although he may have been able to return in time for the playoffs, the two-time reigning champion Panthers sit 15 points out with just nine games remaining.
Barkov has won the Selke Trophy in each of the last two seasons as the NHL’s best defensive forward, plus captained the Panthers to titles in each of those two seasons.
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