Panthers place Barkov on long-term injured reserve

The Florida Panthers will be without Aleksander Barkov for the near future, after placing the veteran forward on Long Term Injured Reserve on Saturday. The move will keep him out for at least the next 10 NHL regular-season games, as he recovers from a lower-body injury. 

While the extent or details of Barkov’s injury are unknown, he was hurt midway through the second period of the Panthers’ 4-3 loss to the San Jose Sharks on Thursday. While battling for the puck along the boards, he was pushed by Darnell Nurse and fell to the ice, with his left leg bending uncomfortably. 

After the tussle with Nurse, Barkov stayed on the ice briefly before heading to the bench and into the Florida dressing room, showing significant frustration as he left the contest.

Speaking on the injury after the game, head coach Paul Maurice told reporters that the injury was “not related to his injury last year, at all.”

Barkov, now 31, missed the entire 2025-26 season after tearing his ACL and MCL during training camp, and only recently returned to competitive action in the season opener against the Carolina Hurricanes earlier in the week. 

Without Barkov in the lineup, the Panthers will be back in action on Sunday against the Anaheim Ducks, afterwards, they take on the L.A. Kings, before a three-day break and a home return against the Minnesota Wild on Oct. 10. 

Meanwhile, the earliest their experienced forward could return would be the Nov. 27 visit to the Winnipeg Jets.   

In his career, Barkov has 286 goals and 496 assists for 782 points in 806 regular season games, but will be focused on simply returning to full health, with hopes of doing so later this season as the Panthers look to contend for a third Stanley Cup title in the last four seasons.