THN.com/free Image [https://thehockeynews.com/.image/c_fit,h_600,w_600/MTk1NDYyMDAzNDA0OTA3NTcx/usatsi_19827271.jpg] One star center out, another star center in. The NHL broke the news on Friday morning that Florida Panthers forward Aleksander Barkov will be heading to the 2023 All-Star Game next week in the place of Auston Matthews. This comes after the Toronto Maple Leafs announced their star will be sidelined for a minimum of three weeks with a knee sprain he suffered during Wednesday's game versus the New York Rangers. Before the injury, Matthews had been one of the players selected to the Atlantic Division's roster via fan vote, with the 25-year-old being set to join his teammate Mitch Marner. Now, of course, plans have changed. Barkov will instead slot into the Atlantic Division lineup in front of his hometown crowd, earning this all-star nod thanks to his impressive production this season of 13 goals and 30 assists for 43 points in 40 games. Barkov will join fellow teammate Matthew Tkachuk as the representative for the host Florida Panthers at this year's event. While it's undoubtedly a bummer to learn a talent like Matthews won't be in attendance, Barkov is quite the star himself.
