Florida Panthers general manager Bill Zito did not mince words about how difficult it was to see captain Aleksander Barkov go down with a season-ending injury just months before the 2026 Winter Olympics.
“It’s heartbreaking,” Zito told reporters on Saturday morning. “That’s about all I can say… It’s heartbreaking.”
Barkov tore his ACL and MCL in practice on Thursday and underwent surgery that will keep him out for the next seven to nine months.
This news comes just four months before NHL players are set to participate in the Olympics for the first time since 2014. Barkov was an 18-year-old rookie at the time and did not make the cut for Team Finland.
The Panthers captain had 20 goals and 71 points in 67 regular-season games last year. He added six goals and 22 points in 23 playoff games en route to his second Stanley Cup during the postseason.
Barkov, who became the first Finnish captain to lift the Stanley Cup in 2024, was set to be a key leader for Finland in this year's Olympics. That will not be the case now that he likely remains out for the season.
He had 23 goals and 80 points in 73 games before leading the team in points with 22 in 24 games on the way to their first of back-to-back titles in 2024. He has the most goals (286) and points (782) in the Panthers' 31-year franchise history.
The 30-year-old forward represented Finland at the 4 Nations Face-Off in 2025 and scored one goal and one point in three games. It was the only time he represented his country since his standout performance at the 2013 World Junior Classic.
Now, an almost 13-year wait gets longer for one of the NHL's biggest stars. Barkov is a three-time Selke Trophy winner who led the Panthers to back-to-back titles in 2024 and 2025, but he now will have to wait until 2029 to try to add an Olympic medal to his trophy case.
