Aleksander Barkov damage is huge blow to Florida Panthers
A gargantuan gap now exists on the Cats’ first line, a place Barkov has held ever since coming into the league as an 18-year-old in 2013. The back-to-back Selke Trophy winner is smack-dab in the midst of his prime at age 30 and is broadly thought to be the very best two-way heart within the recreation, and for good motive. He’s now rattled off 5 straight seasons above a degree per recreation, averaging a 33-62–95 scoring line per 82 video games for the reason that 2020-21 marketing campaign. He’s additionally logged a cumulative +92 ranking throughout that point and has gained 56.1% of his attracts. He reached new heights on the possession entrance final yr, logging a career-high 60.8% Corsi share at even power.
Whereas the Panthers’ ahead depth has been the hallmark of their back-to-back Stanley Cup wins, it’s already getting stretched skinny. They’re now down two stars for no less than the primary few months of the season as Matthew Tkachuk recovers from offseason adductor surgery. Not having Barkov accessible down the center additionally amplifies the impression of comparatively minor accidents like Tomas Nosek’s. The pure pivot would have been in line to swallow up expanded bottom-six minutes usually, however he additionally underwent knee surgical procedure lately and can miss multiple months.
This season’s new guidelines surrounding long-term injured reserve will now have a major impression on the Panthers’ strategy. If a participant will not be anticipated to overlook your entire season, a group solely unlocks the equal of final yr’s league common wage — roughly $3.8M on this case — in reduction. That doesn’t change primarily based on the variety of gamers on LTIR. If the Panthers have been to make Barkov ineligible to play within the common season or playoffs, although, they may unlock Barkov’s full $10M cap hit price of reduction, assuming they optimize their seize accurately.
Florida already entered the season in a precarious place, projecting to exceed the cap by $4.5M, per PuckPedia. Whereas Barkov’s damage is a major blow to their lineup, there’s now a straightforward out for them to realize cap compliance by the point opening night time rosters are due by ruling him ineligible to return this season, even giving them room so as to add a major wage through commerce to assist shoulder his absence.
Till then, all eyes are on Sam Bennett and Anton Lundell to anchor Florida’s prime two strains. Bennett has been a stellar second-line pivot for the Cats since his arrival in 2021, and though he’s recent off signing an eight-year, $64M extension, he’s by no means been examined in a top-line function. There’s an argument to be made that Lundell, the twelfth general choose of the 2020 draft, ought to see the better enhance in minutes. He’s stuffed in on the highest line throughout short-term absences for Barkov prior to now and has been a simpler per-minute producer than Bennett. The soon-to-be 24-year-old can be locked up long-term and had a career-high 45 factors in 79 appearances final yr, averaging 16:43 per recreation and successful 53% of his attracts.
The Panthers have a couple of choices to fill the domino impact and exchange Lundell because the No. 3 heart. Evan Rodrigues, incessantly a top-six complementary winger, is a pure pivot and has taken over 2,500 attracts in his 10-year profession. He is likely to be a greater match within the function in comparison with different potential flex-overs like Eetu Luostarinen, who the Cats would presumably prefer to preserve with Lundell and maintain the chemistry they’ve inbuilt constant deployment collectively over the previous few years.
There’s additionally now a transparent opening for PTO invitations, Noah Gregor and Tyler Motte to land NHL offers. Each now clearly slot in among the many Panthers’ prime 14 forwards with Barkov, Nosek, and Tkachuk all sidelined.
