Florida Panthers captain Sasha Barkov is now the franchise leader in points. Barkov’s second period assist on Gus Forsling’s goal Monday night in Detroit was the 614th point of his 10-year career. That moved Barkov into sole possession of the Panthers all-time scoring lead, passing longtime teammate and friend Jonathan Huberdeau. "It feels great," Barkov said after the game. "I’m going to realize it even more once some time passes by, it just happened so quick and you don’t really think that it during the game, but of course I’m really happy." Barkov has spent every second of his NHL career with the Panthers, making his debut as an 18-year-old rookie. He scored that night in 2013, setting the tone for what has been an exceptional career to this point. Florida selected Barkov with the second overall pick of the 2013 NHL Draft. Five years later the soft-spoken workhorse was named team captain. He's a lead by example kinda guy, but one that has the upmost respect of every player and coach he's crossed paths with. "He is maybe the most humble man I’ve ever met, certianly the most humble elite player that I’ve ever met," Panthers head coach Paul Maurice said. "He feels, as the all-time leading franchise player, that the 13th forward and seventh defenseman, in his eyes, are just as important as he is to the team, and he treats people like that every day." As his career has grown and improved, so has the trajectory of the Panthers franchise. When he was drafted, Florida had all of one playoff appearance in a 13-year span. It took three years for Barkov to help lead the Panthers to a postseason berth. Sasha continued to get better and so did the team around him. Since Barkov was named captain, the Panthers have qualified for the playoffs in three of four years. You can bet your bottom dollar that’s where Barkov’s head was at Monday night in Detroit. The win, combined with a Pittsburgh loss, leapfrogged Florida over the Penguins and into the final Wild Card spot. "Just keep going the same way. We've been playing a lot better and we've been having a lot of fun playing hard," he said. "That's what we want to do and that's what we're going to do." WATCH BELOW Barkov spoke to the media after Florida's win over Detroit. He was asked about his big milestone and Florida's second-half surge. Panthers captain Sasha Barkov speaks to the media after Florida's 5-2 win in Detroit. Video source: Florida Panthers
