{"id":170851,"date":"2025-09-26T17:32:08","date_gmt":"2025-09-26T17:32:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/170851\/"},"modified":"2025-09-26T17:32:08","modified_gmt":"2025-09-26T17:32:08","slug":"worst-fears-confirmed-as-panthers-aleksander-barkov-expected-to-miss-nhl-season","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/170851\/","title":{"rendered":"Worst Fears Confirmed As Panthers&#8217; Aleksander Barkov Expected To Miss NHL Season"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The dynasty in South Florida may be over before it even fully begins.<\/p>\n<p>PublishedSeptember 26, 2025 1:19 PM EDT\u2022UpdatedSeptember 26, 2025 1:19 PM EDT<\/p>\n<p>FacebookTwitterEmailCopy Link<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align:left;\">Well, Panthers fans, it was a fun ride while it lasted.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align:left;\">No one ever truly knows how dynasties will end.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align:left;\">Usually, it&#8217;s an aging core or through free agency defections, but this budding dynasty in Sunrise, Fla., barely had a chance to get off the ground.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align:left;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.outkick.com\/sports\/three-peat-hold-florida-panthers-barkov-suffers-leg-injury\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">As I mentioned yesterday<\/a>, Florida Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov suffered an apparent leg injury in training camp as he went down awkwardly and had to be helped off the ice.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align:left;\">While it wasn&#8217;t confirmed what the severity of the injury was, the news out of South Florida was that many feared it was season-ending.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align:left;\">Those fears were confirmed earlier today when it was reported that Barkov would be having knee surgery, all but assuring he would miss the entirety of the 2025-26 season for the Panthers.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align:left;\">With fellow star forward <a href=\"https:\/\/www.outkick.com\/sports\/stanley-cup-champs-dealt-major-blow-matthew-tkachuk-could-out-until-december\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">Matthew Tkachuk out until at least December<\/a> while he recovers from offseason surgery, two of Florida&#8217;s biggest contributors are set to miss significant time heading into the season.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align:left;\">I think I speak for all Panthers fans when I say the dreams of a &#8220;three-peat&#8221; are all but dead on arrival.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align:left;\">During this past offseason, the biggest question most hockey fans had on their minds was &#8220;how does Florida not repeat as Stanley Cup champions again?&#8221;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align:left;\">It would appear as though that answer came to us on Sept. 25, 2025, and then was confirmed only a day later.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align:left;\">I don&#8217;t expect anyone to hold candle-lit vigils in remembrance of Panthers fans&#8217; hopes and dreams, but it is a hell of a blow that the season came to a screeching halt before it even began, a sentiment shared by many on X.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align:left;\">On the bright side, the Cats might have the deepest roster in the league from top to bottom, so I have to push back a little on the last comment opining that the Panthers will miss the playoffs.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align:left;\">As far as the ceiling of this team, though, that lives and dies with their captain.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align:left;\">Without him in the lineup, I doubt this team has what it takes to hoist another Cup.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align:left;\">It looks like the dreams of a dynasty will have to be put on hold, for now.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The dynasty in South Florida may be over before it even fully begins. 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