Panthers not asking for full-year LTIR on captain Aleksander Barkov

The Florida Panthers appear to be holding out hope their captain could step on the ice this season.

Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported on the “Saturday Headlines” segment of Hockey Night in Canada that the defending champs have not asked for full-year long-term injured reserve for Aleksander Barkov following knee surgery at the end of September.

The 30-year-old tore his ACL and MCL during practice two weeks ago and was ruled out for seven to nine months, effectively ending his 2025-26 campaign before it even started.

Despite that, the Panthers have opted not to place Barkov on LTIR, according to Friedman, thus forgoing the full cap relief they could gain on his $10 million AAV for this season.

It appears the move was made in case the centre can make a faster-than-expected recovery, as under the new CBA rules, if Barkov were placed on full-year LTIR, he’d no longer be eligible to return at any point during the 2025-26 season, including the playoffs.

Friedman referenced the Vegas Golden Knights’ decision to place Alex Pietrangelo on full-year LTIR when making that point, while also noting Florida “could change their minds later, if they wanted to, but right now Aleksander Barkov is still eligible to play this year if he’s ready to do it and the Panthers don’t get full (cap) relief.”

The reigning King Clancy and Selke trophy winner put up 71 points (20 goals and 51 assists) through 67 regular-season appearances last season, while logging 22 points (six goals and 16 assists) in Florida’s run to a second consecutive title.

Despite the absence of their captain, the Panthers have managed to open their season with a 2-0 record.

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