The Florida Panthers are hoping to skate to their third consecutive Stanley Cup championship this season. Florida has had to play a substantial amount of time without their captain, Aleksander “Sasha” Barkov. Panthers fans are getting some good news, as Barkov was seen skating Tuesday in Fort Lauderdale.

Video of Barkov was released by Panthers insider George Richards. The center was skating with other injured players.

Barkov has missed the entire 2025-26 NHL season so far after needing surgery. He injured his knee during team training camp ahead of the campaign.

Panthers fans are hopeful that this latest sighting means Barkov can return to the team at some point soon. He finished the 2024-25 Stanley Cup Playoffs with 22 points in 23 games.

Barkov also helped lead the Panthers to appearances in the last three Stanley Cup Finals. Florida won the last two titles, with both coming against the Edmonton Oilers.

Aleksander Barkov is moving toward a Panthers return

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Even though Barkov has missed the entire season, he has been around the team. He skated with the club during practices ahead of the NHL Winter Classic. That game pitted the Panthers against the New York Rangers at the start of 2026.

Barkov's head coach loved seeing him on the ice again at that time.

“Him being on the ice, he’s not ahead of anything,” Florida coach Paul Maurice said, per NHL.com. “It’s just a normal … it’s a like a Sunday walk. He’s just moving around the ice. But it’s nice for him to be a part of it.”

The Panthers captain went down in September 2025 with an ACL and MCL injury. Following surgery, rehabilitation is expected to take 7-9 months. Barkov is one of several Panthers players who has been slowed by an injury this season.

This season the Panthers hold a 28-20-3 record. Florida is on a three-game winning streak, ahead of a contest Tuesday night against the Utah Mammoth.