UPDATE: Aleksander Barkov has surgery for ACL and MCL injuries, with recovery time of 7-9 months
The Panthers could be without their captain for the entire season.
UPDATE (7:10 ET): The Panthers have announced that Aleksander Barkov suffered injuries to the ACL and MCL in his right knee, and the recovery time is projected to be seven to nine months.
Seven months would be potentially during the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs, while nine months would be in June, more than likely after the Stanley Cup Final. For salary cap purposes, the difference between being out until the playoffs and out for the entire season including the playoffs determines the amount of LTIR relief the team can get. If the Panthers believe Barkov can return at some point, they’d only receive LTIR relief equivalent to last year’s average salary, $3,817,293. They would only get his full salary of LTIR relief if he’s officially out for the regular season and playoffs, which the team did not mention in their announcement today.
The story from earlier this afternoon continues below:
Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov had surgery this morning for a serious knee injury suffered yesterday in practice. There’s no timetable yet, but some reporting suggests he could miss the entire season.
“There’s no hiding it, that’s a hole,’’ Paul Maurice said of losing his captain. “That’s the big man. He is such an important piece in that locker room. What we’ll get to know now is some of the other leaders in the room. We’ll get to see other players and, at the end of the day, I know there’s the idea of ‘next man up,’ and I get all that. But there’s no a next-man for Barky’s skates. We just have to share it, spread it across the room and among the coaches. We have to share that.”
Maurice noted that it happened on a fluke play in practice that was unrelated to the 314 total games the Panthers played in the last three seasons.
“That’s why you can’t bubblewrap player, keep them out of games or save them,’’ Maurice added. “It can happen anywhere, can happen at practice.”
Maurice also said that when they have a firmer timeline on the injury and potential recovery time, they will give a full update.