The Florida Panthers are hoping to snag a third straight Stanley Cup, something that hasn’t happened in over forty years. But things took a big hit right at their first official practice of training camp. Captain Aleksander Barkov, a key player for the franchise and a three-time Selke Trophy winner, has unfortunately dealt with a serious knee injury. So, the next surgery to fix his ACL and MCL is going to take about 7-9 months to recover from, which means he’ll likely miss the whole regular season.

The Panthers are facing a tough situation with this loss, especially since they won’t have star forward Matthew Tkachuk around until at least December. It’s going to be a real challenge for them to go for a three-peat without their top two leaders on the ice. After facing this setback, head coach Paul Maurice shared some strong thoughts on the team’s leadership setup, talking about how the Panthers plan to handle the situation without their captain.

Maurice made it clear that “there’s no next man for ‘Barky’s’ skates,” but he also highlighted the importance of everyone sharing the responsibility. According to reporter Jameson Olive on X, the coach said, “Sam Reinhart doesn’t wear an ‘A,’ and he could be the captain of this team….That part of it, I’m not concerned about.”

Reinhart just wrapped up a season where he was the top scorer for the Panthers and came in second to Barkov for the Selke Trophy. He really shows off that two-way excellence that’s a big part of what makes this team who they are.

“It’s amazing to play with a guy who thinks about the game pretty much the same way as you,” Barkov said of Reinhart. “Both defensive minded, but learns how to play offensively as well together. It helps a lot when you’re on the ice and you know the guy next to you is going to think about the game the same way.”

That’s why Maurice trusts his players. Aleksander Barkov may be off the ice, but the Panthers are known for their amazing depth; and to complete a three-peat while at a disadvantage would be nothing short of the ultimate display of dominance. To make that happen, they definitely need someone to guide the Cats to that glory. But hey, there’s another player stepping in to help the Panthers during this tough time.

Stepping up right after Aleksander Barkov’s situation

Recently, Jameson Olive reported, “Gadjovich back at practice.” It’s such a relief considering everything happening with the Florida Panthers right now. Jonah Gadjovich was out for a few days with a little lower-body injury, but it looks like he’ll be back in the lineup soon. Even though he’s not exactly stepping in for Aleksander Barkov or Matthew Tkachuk, having Gadjovich back definitely helps strengthen the team’s identity.

Remember when, in Game 3 of the 2025 Stanley Cup, the 6-foot-3 hockey star totally caught everyone off guard for a surprising reason? The Panthers were leading 5-1, and the Oilers thought it would be a good idea to kick off a line brawl, which ended up sparking five different fights! You know, the best part had to be the face-off between Gadjovich and Darnell Nurse from Edmonton. That was something else!

After the fight, the Panthers’ star said, “It’s a physical sport. We stuck together as a team, and we’ve all got each other’s backs. I got tied up with Nurse. We were stuck together for a couple minutes there. It (the fight) felt pretty long. We love playing at home. It’s fun to feed off the crowd because they’re so loud and so supportive of us.” With Gadjovich back in practice, we’ll just have to wait and see if he’s ready for the opening match against the Chicago Blackhawks. Right now, any new addition would be a huge boost for the team.