The Florida Panthers came out of the 2023 Stanley Cup Final rather banged up. Their battle against the Vegas Golden Knights to conclude the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs left them without defensemen Brandon Montour and Aaron Ekblad to begin the 2023-24 season. Both players recently made their returns, but unfortunately, Florida lost another one of their stars.

Forward Aleksander Barkov left his team's win against the Anaheim Ducks on Friday. He collided with Ducks defenseman Jackson LaCombe and needed to be helped off the ice. On Sunday, head coach Paul Maurice told reporters that Barkov is day-to-day. But he provided a further update beyond that.

“He will not play [Monday], that is for sure,” Maurice confirmed, via NHL.com. This means the Panthers will be without their star veteran against Connor McDavid and the Edmonton Oilers.

Barkov is off to an incredible start to the 2023-24 season. In fact, the 28-year-old forward has the second most points among Panthers skaters. In 16 games, the Finnish star has scored six goals and 17 points.

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Barkov has played at a high level for Florida for a long time. Last season, he became the team's all-time leader in points scored, overtaking former Panthers star Jonathan Huberdeau for the honor.

The 28-year-old star came up big for Florida in the Stanley Cup Playoffs last season, as well. He scored five goals and 16 points in 21 games to help the Panthers win the Eastern Conference for the first time since 1996.

Following Monday's contest, Florida finishes out a three-game stretch at home. The Panthers face the Boston Bruins on Wednesday and the Winnipeg Jets on Black Friday. Let's see if Barkov can return to the lineup before Florida hits the road once again.