The Florida Panthers received good news Tuesday about Aleksander Barkov's left knee injury - there will be no surgery and he's expected to miss six to eight weeks while going through rehabilitation.
Barkov suffered the injury on Oct. 1 after losing his footing while battling for a puck in the corner during the second period of the Panthers' OT loss at San Jose. The left knee - not the knee that was surgically repaired last yearand wiped out his season - buckled on the play and the team's captain immediately left the ice in pain.
Panthers coach Paul Maurice said the timetable puts Barkov out for 20 to 25 games before he could return.
"That's our best window,"
Maurice said. "Could be a little less, could be a little more. But we think six to eight (weeks) is the right rehab time.
""It's good for everything, maybe most importantly for Barky. He's our captain and we miss him and he feels it when he's not around. So, he's probably the happiest of all of us."
The Panthers had placed Barkov, 31, on Long Term Injured Reserve on Oct. 3 before he was sent to see a specialist amid concerns he may have needed surgery and be out for a longer period.
Barkov, who helped Florida win back-to-back Stanley Cup championships, missed the entire 2025-26 NHL season after having reconstructive surgery on his right knee, an injury he suffered on the first day of training camp. He was skating with the team at practice late in the season but the Panthers failed to make the playoffs.
The current injury occurred in only the second game of the regular season. He played 20:32 in the season opener, a 1-0 OT win against the Carolina Hurricanes on Sept. 29.
The Panthers, who have their home opener on Oct. 10, have replaced Barkov on the top line with Lars Eller, who joined Brady Tkachuk and Sam Reinhart for the first time during the Oct. 4 game at the Anaheim Ducks.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Panthers' Aleksander Barkov will miss 6 to 8 weeks after injuring knee
