Panthers’ Aleksander Barkov day-to-day with upper-body injury

Florida Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov did not suit up for Wednesday’s contest against the Atlantic Division rival Toronto Maple Leafs, with Panthers head coach Paul Maurice confirming postgame that the stalwart center is day-to-day with an upper-body injury, per TSN’s Chris Johnston.

Through 64 appearances with the Panthers this season, the two-time Selke Trophy winner has notched 19 goals and 48 assists for 67 points, putting him second in team scoring behind fellow forward Sam Reinhart. In all, Barkov’s injury marks his third absence this season following a two-game stretch in mid-December when he was out with an illness plus an eight-game stretch through late October after he had suffered a lower-body ailment.

The second-overall selection from the 2013 NHL Draft, the 29-year-old Finnish-born forward has spent his entire career with Florida counting 12 seasons and 801 total appearances in which he has collected 285 goals and 493 assists for 778 points to rank first in Panthers’ all-time scoring. Barkov has also been impressive in the postseason where through 71 outings he has amassed 59 points, including eight goals and 14 assists in 24 games last spring when he captained the Panthers to their first-ever Stanley Cup championship.

With Barkov out, he joins a crowded sideline in Florida that is highlighted by left winger Matthew Tkachuk who has missed the past 17 games after suffering a groin injury while competing with Team USA at the 4 Nations Face-Off. Tkachuk hopes to return when the puck drops for the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs. Beyond Tkachuk, the Panthers are also without veteran defenseman Dmitry Kulikov, who has been sidelined for the past six games due to an upper-body injury, as well as fellow rearguard Aaron Ekblad, who is in the midst of a 20-game suspension for violating the terms of the NHL/NHLPA Performance Enhancing Substances Program.