The Aleksander Barkov injury has put the Florida Panthers on alert after their captain left Thursday’s 4-3 overtime loss to the San Jose Sharks in the second period.
Barkov fell awkwardly while battling for a puck in the right corner during a Panthers power play at SAP Center, NHL.com reported. The 31-year-old center asked for the Zamboni doors to be opened and went straight to the locker room, tossing a glove aside as he left.
Aleksander Barkov injury: what we know
Coach Paul Maurice said the problem has nothing to do with the right knee injury that cost Barkov all of last season. “It’s not related to his injury last year at all,” Maurice said. He added that the team would have a better idea by Friday afternoon.
Multiple reports said Barkov’s left leg buckled as he battled in the corner. TSN reported that he would have an MRI to determine the severity. CBS Sports wrote that, while he has not been ruled out, it seems unlikely he will be ready for Sunday’s game at Anaheim. No diagnosis had been confirmed in the reports reviewed for this story.
Why the timing hurts Florida
Thursday’s game was only Barkov’s second appearance of the season. He played 20:32 in the opener, a 1-0 overtime win at Carolina that started Florida’s trip west. That makes the Aleksander Barkov injury especially worrying for the Panthers.
Barkov hurt his right knee in training camp last year and had surgery to repair his MCL and ACL. The Panthers, who had reached three straight Stanley Cup Finals, then missed the playoffs, and a slow start to that season was only the beginning of their injury trouble.
Barkov’s résumé and recent confidence
Barkov, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2013 NHL Draft, has 782 career points (286 goals, 496 assists) in 806 regular-season games. He captained Florida to Stanley Cup titles in 2024 and 2025 and has won the Selke Trophy three times (2021, 2024 and 2025).
He had sounded confident about the knee in September. “I have a better feeling going toward this camp knowing that I played some hockey, meaningful hockey, and felt good there,” he said. That hockey came in May, when he captained Finland to gold at the 2026 IIHF World Championship and had 11 points in 10 games.
What’s next
The Panthers play Sunday at the Anaheim Ducks. An official update on the Aleksander Barkov injury is the next piece of news to watch, and Florida’s lineup for that game will show how serious the team believes the injury is.
