- Aleksander Barkov will play for Finland at the 2026 World Championship after missing the full NHL season.
- Panthers head coach Paul Maurice said the captain is roughly a week or two from ready.
- Read below for the ACL/MCL timeline, his Olympic miss, and what Finland gets back.
Aleksander Barkov is back. The Florida Panthers captain will suit up for Finland at the 2026 World Championship after missing the entire NHL season following a training camp knee injury, head coach Paul Maurice confirmed Thursday.
Barkov tore his ACL and MCL during practice on Sept. 25, 2025. Panthers GM Bill Zito said at the time the two-time Cup-winning captain was looking at a seven-to-nine month recovery, as we reported when Barkov first went down in September.
The back-to-back champions never found a replacement for their top center. Florida finished out of the playoffs and will watch Round 1 from home after back-to-back Stanley Cup runs.
Maurice broke the news Thursday at the IcePlex. George Richards of Florida Hockey Now was first with the quote.
“A week or two, he will be ready to go,” Maurice said.
Barkov himself met the media afterward. He walked through the rehab, the mental side of sitting out, and what he wants from his first competitive hockey in 10 months.
The 30-year-old put up 71 points in 67 games during the 2024-25 regular season and added 22 points in 23 playoff games on Florida’s run to a second straight Cup. He also missed Finland’s run at the 2026 Winter Olympics.
Finland will lean on Panthers teammate Anton Lundell and Kraken winger Kaapo Kakko alongside Barkov. The tournament begins in May in Switzerland.
For a player who hasn’t played a real game since lifting the Stanley Cup last June, two weeks can’t come fast enough.
