Panthers captain Sasha Barkov reached a pivotal recovery milestone as he works his way back from a devastating knee injury he suffered during training camp.
The injury-plagued Florida Panthers are starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel.
Star forward Matthew Tkachuk is nearing a return from offseason surgery for a torn adductor and sports hernia, having joined the team for his first practice of the season over the weekend.
Earlier this week, Panthers Head Coach Paul Maurice provided updates on injured defenseman Dmitry Kulikov and forward Jonah Gadjovich, both of whom are working toward returns sometime after the NHL pauses for the Winter Olympics in a couple months.
A player there hasn’t been much news about is Florida captain Sasha Barkov.
He had surgery to repair a torn ACL and MCL back in September, and the hope is that Barkov would be able to return for a potential playoff run, initially given a recovery timeline of seven-to-nine months.
Earlier this month, Barkov hit a major milestone in his recovery.
The 30-year-old Finnish superstar was given the green light to begin skating, and he’s been on the ice a handful of times at the Baptist Health IcePlex in Fort Lauderdale, THN Florida has learned.
There is still a long road of rehab ahead of Barkov as he works his way toward playing meaningful hockey again, but getting back on the ice and continuing to build up the strength in and around his surgically repaired knee is a big step in the right direction.
The unfortunate injury was suffered during Barkov’s first practice of training camp.
As the team was completing an offensive zone skating and stickhandling drill, Barkov made a move with the puck and suddenly crumpled in a heap, needing help off the ice and to Florida’s locker room.
If not for the incredible depth that Panthers General Manager Bill Zito and his staff have built up on the roster over the past several seasons, Florida likely would be much worse shape at current time.
As it stands, Florida is in possession of the second Wild Card spot in the Eastern Conference with 45 points off a 21-15-3 record through nearly half the season. They trail Detroit for first place in the Atlantic Division by four points with a game in hand.
Tkachuk’s pending debut, combined with the hopeful eventual returns of Kulikov and Gadjovich, will go a long way toward helping the Panthers nail down a playoff spot and qualify for the big dance.
The NHL’s back-to-back Selke Trophy winner also joining the fun is something that would strike fear into the 15 other postseason participants, as there isn’t a soul in the NHL who isn’t perfectly aware of what the Panthers are capable of come playoff time.
We’ll see how all this plays out in the coming weeks and months.
Stay tuned.
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Photo caption: Feb 27, 2025; Sunrise, Florida, USA; Florida Panthers center Aleksander Barkov (16) looks on against the Edmonton Oilers during the first period at Amerant Bank Arena. (Sam Navarro-Imagn Images)