Subscribe to Florida Hockey Now Today!<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cIf you have a really strong top-down hierarchy, that leadership void is huge,\u2019\u2019 coach Paul Maurice said after Barkov went down with a knee injury that needed surgery on Friday morning.<\/p>\n \u201cBut we have a much more horizontal idea in there. \u2026 Sam Reinhart doesn\u2019t wear an \u2018A,\u2019 but he could be the captain of this team. And that\u2019s as true today as it was before. We can talk about just about anyone in that room after that. So, when we say we\u2019re going to share that loss, we\u2019ll share the loss, the captaincy, all of it across the board.\u201d<\/p>\n General manager Bill Zito has been careful to build a team that not only is chock full of talent, but meshes extremely well together.<\/p>\n The Panthers hold themselves to a higher standard than anyone outside of the organization could.<\/p>\n Barkov has helped set that tone, for sure.<\/p>\n But so have the likes of Sam Reinhart, Sam Bennett, Aaron Ekblad, Carter Verhaeghe, Sergei Bobrovsky, and Gus Forsling.<\/p>\n In the past few months, Florida also added Brad Marchand and Seth Jones, two players who have been looked at as leaders at their previous stops \u2014 with Marchand spending his final two seasons with the Bruins as their captain.<\/p>\n \u201cYou can\u2019t replace Barky because he does so many different things on and off the ice,\u201d Marchand said on Saturday. \u201cOne of the things I was really impressed with when I came in was, you didn\u2019t feel like one guy led the way. You felt like everyone was very dialed in to what they had to do. Everyone was bought in, everyone did everything as a unit. That is very special and you don\u2019t see that often where the guys are one. You\u2019ll see where there are one or two guys who kind of lead the way, and others follow \u2026 that\u2019s complete opposite of this group.\u201d<\/p>\n Said Ekblad: \u201cI wear an \u2018A,\u2019 but you could throw it on Benny, Marchy, Reino, go down the lineup; Bob. We all absorb it, for sure. Again, there is no replacing [Barkov], and we know that. But there is a sense of community in that room and we\u2019re all going to have to chip away at it together.\u201d<\/p>\n As far as assigned leaders go, the Panthers will likely be making some changes to their alternate captains what with both Barkov and Tkachuk out with injury.<\/p>\n Ekblad, who is the second-longest tenured Panther behind Barkov, wears an \u2018A\u2019 as does Tkachuk.<\/p>\n In past years, the Panthers have designated as many as four alternate captains with two selected for home games, and two for road games.<\/p>\n Maurice has not said what the Panthers plan to do this season.<\/p>\n With the players the Panthers have, however, there is no shortage of candidates Maurice could pick to place the \u2018A\u2019 on their jersey once the regular season kicks off.<\/p>\n It would not be surprising to see Marchand, the former Bruins captain, be one of them.<\/p>\n \u201cIt makes it easier that he\u2019s here for sure,\u201d Zito said. \u201cIn a unique way, it has been a short period of time, but doesn\u2019t it feel like he has always been here? He seems like he\u2019s part of the furniture. \u2026 Obviously his level of leadership, his commitment to the team, to the family, these are the times where that becomes even more valuable.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n 2024 STANLEY CUP CHAMPIONS 2025 Preseason (1-2) \u2014 Game 1: @Nashville 5, Panthers 0;<\/a> Game 2: @Nashville 5, Panthers 3;<\/a> Game 3: Panthers 4, @Carolina 2; <\/a>Game 4: Tonight vs. Carolina, 6 (Panthers+, Scripps)<\/a>;\u00a0Game 5: Tuesday vs. Tampa Bay Lightning at Orlando, 7 (Panthers+, Scripps); Game 6: Thursday at Lightning, 7 (Panthers+, Scripps); Game 7: Saturday vs. Lightning, 7 (Panthers+, Scripps) \u00a0<\/p>\n
\nFLORIDA PANTHERS
\nON DECK<\/p>\n
\nChampionship Ring Celebration: Oct. 6, FTL War Memorial
\nOpening Night: Oct 7 vs. Chicago Blackhawks, 5<\/a>
\nComplete Florida Panthers 2025-26 Schedule<\/a><\/p>\n
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