Barkov 'really happy' with recovery from knee surgery for Panthers

HOLLYWOOD, Fla. -- Aleksander Barkov is remaining upbeat and has gained a new perspective while recovering from knee surgery that has kept the Florida Panthers center out all season.

“It has been tough,” said Barkov, who was speaking publicly on Tuesday for the first time since sustaining the injury on the first day of training camp in September. “But when something tough or bad happens, you try and find the positives. I don’t know, maybe taking a long time off here will help me in the future to come back fresher, with a fresh mind, a fresh body. Hopefully my career will last longer, I don’t know, but these are the kind of things you think about when you go through tough moments, face adversity.”

The Panthers captain had surgery on the ACL and MCL in his right knee on Sept. 26, one day after the 30-year-old had to be helped off the ice following a collision with defenseman Niko Mikkola. At the time, Barkov was expected to be out 7-9 months, meaning he likely won't return during regular season. Florida’s final game is on April 15, just shy of seven months after the injury.

Barkov is hoping, though, to return for the Stanley Cup Playoffs — if the Panthers (29-25-3) qualify. The two-time defending Stanley Cup champions are eight points behind the Boston Bruins for the second wild card from the Eastern Conference with 25 games remaining.

The NHL season resumes on Wednesday following the break for the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026, and the Panthers’ first game back is at home against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Thursday (7 p.m. ET; SCRIPPS, TSN4, TVAS).

“I am really happy where I am right now. I know the schedule,” said Barkov, who resumed skating last month. “I’m in good hands. We have great people working for the Panthers: surgeons, physical therapists and doctors. So, I trust them, and they will always make the right decision. Hopefully, very soon, I’ll be back with the team.”

General manager Bill Zito said on Tuesday that Barkov was doing fine but that he remains on the initial timetable for a return.

“Obviously, it goes without saying that’s a considerable addition to our team,” Zito said. “The sooner the better as far as I am concerned. But the medical diagnosis is pretty clear timing-wise. It’s one of those where it [may] look great, but you can’t cheat the system on that one. ... When the doctors say he’s ready to play, he will be ready to play, I know that. Then he will play.”

Aside from not being able to help the Panthers so far this season, Barkov was forced to miss the Olympics, which concluded on Sunday.

Barkov was one of the first six players selected for Team Finland’s preliminary roster last June and was expected to be his country's captain, as he was at the 4 Nations Face-Off last February. Finland won the bronze medal with a 6-1 victory against Team Slovakia on Saturday.

“The season was going along fine, and then some of the guys were starting to skate in their Olympic gear, and I’m like, ‘Where’s mine? I don’t have any,'" Barkov said. "Them leaving was when it really hit me that I was going to miss the Olympics. ... Hopefully, one day, I’ll get the chance.”

If there was one positive that has come out of Barkov’s injury, it was his decision to make a sizable donation to his favorite cause.

Since 2019, Barkov has donated more than $420,000 to the Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital here by pledging a financial contribution for each of his goals and assists, an amount that has increased over the years (currently $1,600 for a goal and $800 for an assist). Barkov also donates a luxury suite at Amerant Bank Arena in Sunrise, Florida, for use by the hospital, allowing children, families, and health care workers to attend Panthers games.

With Barkov unable to rack up any goals or assists this season, he said he and agent Todd Diamond went to the hospital with an idea. On Tuesday, it was announced that Barkov made a donation in excess of $1 million and that the hospital named its sports medicine program after him: Barkov Sports Medicine at Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital.

Barkov won the King Clancy Memorial Trophy, which is awarded for leadership on and off the ice and contributions in the community, in part for his philanthropy last season. He became the first player to win both the King Clancy Memorial Trophy and Selke Trophy, which is awarded annually to the NHL’s best defensive forward, in the same season.

Children from the hospital surprised Barkov with both trophies last year during the playoffs, and, fittingly, the King Clancy was on display at Barkov’s event on Tuesday.

“Because I knew I would be out for a while, I couldn’t score any goals or assists,” Barkov said. “This is more than a dream for me to be able to be a small part of this great place. The years that I have been here working with Joe DiMaggio’s has been amazing, but this is a next step that I never dreamed about. I am very honored, very thankful, and very happy to be doing this.”

Barkov added that his interactions with the young patients at the hospital have helped him through some of the more difficult moments since being injured. If they can go through tough times, Barkov reasoned, so can he.

“Try and stay positive and find positive things through adversity,” Barkov said. “There is always something good to look for. For me, when I got hurt and knew I would be out for however long, I just tried to find good things to think about.”