The Florida Panthers are going to be without their captain for an extended period of time.
On Thursday, Sasha Barkov suffered a serious knee injury during his first official practice of training camp.
While cutting toward the net with the puck, Barkov’s knee appeared to give out and the 30-year-old collapsed onto the ice.
Video of the play was captured by WPLG Local 10 and can be seen in the X post below:
He did not put any weight on his right leg as two trainers helped him to the locker room.
THN Florida has since learned that Barkov’s injury will require surgery and as a result, he’s expected to be out for at least the regular season.
The Panthers are already going to be without Matthew Tkachuk and Tomas Nosek, both of whom are not expected back until early 2026.
During Friday’s practice, Florida’s forward lines had a bit of a new look without Barkov at the top.
Sam Bennett was seen centering Sam Reinhart and Carter Verhaeghe and Evan Rodrigues skated between Jesper Boqvist and Mackie Samoskevich.
The Panthers third line from last year’s postseason, with Anton Lundell centering Eetu Luostarinen and Brad Marchand, remained intact.
Florida will resume its preseason on Monday night when they host the Carolina Hurricanes at Amerant Bank Arena in Sunrise.
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Photo caption: Jun 12, 2025; Sunrise, Florida, USA; Florida Panthers forward Aleksander Barkov (16) skates between play during the third period against the Edmonton Oilers in game four of the 2025 Stanley Cup Final at Amerant Bank Arena. (Jim Rassol-Imagn Images)