Panthers' Aleksander Barkov: Surfaces on IR

Barkov (knee) was shifted to injured reserve Tuesday.

This move was not unexpected, as Barkov recently underwent knee surgery to repair injuries to his right ACL and MCL. Florida's captain has a 7-9 month recovery timeline, and it's a possibility he'll be held out of a potential playoff run to allow him to fully heal for the 2026-27 campaign. Sam Bennett is slated to center the top line in Barkov's stead.