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The Florida Panthers have been without Aleksander Barkov since the superstar forward crashed into the boards late in a 3-1 loss to the Ottawa Senators last Thursday — but the captain is looking well on his way to a return to the lineup.
“Aleksander Barkov is on the ice getting some work in before the [Panthers] morning skate,” reported The Miami Herald's Jordan McPherson. “A good sign after the lower-body injury early in the road trip against Ottawa.”
Barkov was originally expected to miss 2-3 weeks with the ailment; he's already been out for games against the Buffalo Sabres, Boston Bruins and Columbus Blue Jackets — all on the road. The Panthers fell to the Sabres before back-to-back victories over the Bruins and Jackets to improve to 3-2 on the 2024-25 campaign.
This isn't the same team without Barkov, who won the Selke Trophy for the second time in 2024. But according to head coach Paul Maurice, the Finn could be back in the lineup as early as next week.
“We're hopeful that [Barkov returns] sometime on the New York trip,” Maurice said, per NHL.com's George Richards. “It may not be. But we are quite confident that means in Finland. This kind of injury, you need a week of hard skating with no relapse. We're really happy with where it is.”
The bench boss continued: “He is really in tune with his body, puts a lot of time into it. He was here for a long time [Wednesday] getting worked on. He will play as soon as he says he is 100 percent ready.”
The Panthers will head to Barkov's home country for a back-to-back set with the Dallas Stars in the 2024 NHL Global Series Finland, and it's encouraging that the 29-year-old will likely be available for the two contests.
Matthew Tkachuk also continues to work his way back from an illness; he, like Barkov, hasn't played since last Thursday against the Senators.
Panthers missing Aleksander Barkov, Matthew Tkachuk vs. Canucks
Maurice also provided a positive update on the star American.
“It's good, we had other concerns where he needed to have some tests done and they came back really strong,” he said, per Richards. “He is going to skate [Friday]. He has another appointment, but we are pretty please where he is. He feels good, which is really positive. He'll get on the ice, we'll get two or three really heavy days on him and he should be ready.”
Tkachuk missed the last three games because of an illness, and will not play against the Vancouver Canucks on Thursday. But he could be an option as soon as next Tuesday against the Minnesota Wild. In the absence of the two superstars, Florida has been dressing 11 forwards and seven defensemen.
It looks like both Barkov and Tkachuk will be back at some point next week, which is excellent news for the defending Stanley Cup champions. But first, they'll look to make it three straight victories when the Canucks visit Amerant Bank Arena on Thursday.
