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Aleksander Barkov

Florida Notes: Barkov, Cirelli, Glendening

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The Panthers lost superstar center and team captain Aleksander Barkov to an apparent knee injury Friday after he was on the receiving end of a hit from Ducks defenseman Jackson LaCombe. Today’s initial news regarding his status wasn’t positive – Barkov was a non-participant in practice today, per George Richards of Florida Hockey Now, and David Dwork of The Hockey News believes the team will issue a further update on Barkov’s status later today.

Barkov has been invaluable to the Panthers, notching 17 points in 16 games and leading the team with a +14 rating. Missing him for any length of time is a tough blow, especially for a squad that just reached near-total health with the returns of Aaron Ekblad and Brandon Montour on defense. Barkov already missed one contest this season, an October 24 contest against the Sharks, with an illness. The Panthers won that game 3-1 to reach a 3-3-0 record on the season – a pace they’ve obliterated since and now sit second in the Atlantic Division.

Florida will struggle to replace his offense if he misses significant time, as their secondary scoring outside of Barkov, Matthew Tkachuk, Carter Verhaeghe and Sam Reinhart has struggled to keep up. Outside of Evan Rodrigues, who has 13 points in 17 contests, mainly playing with Barkov, few Panthers have played up to expectations. That applies mostly to Anton Lundell and Eetu Luostarinen, who have scored just one goal each through 17 games after strong showings in the Panthers’ run to the 2023 Stanley Cup Final. Lundell slid up to the first line between Reinhart and Verhaeghe at practice today in Barkov’s absence, Richards said.

The latest on some other storylines in the Sunshine State:

  • The Lightning saw center Anthony Cirelli return to practice today in a full-contact jersey, Chris Krenn of the team’s official site relayed. Cirelli played less than six minutes in Thursday’s win over the Blackhawks and missed Saturday’s win over the Oilers with an undisclosed injury. Winger Tyler Motte moved to center the team’s third line in Cirelli’s absence. In the first season of an eight-year, $50MM extension signed in the summer of 2022, Cirelli has posted two goals, seven points and a -1 rating in 17 contests. The 26-year-old has continued to maintain a stellar defensive profile despite the mediocre plus-minus rating, as his line with Tanner Jeannot and Michael Eyssimont has a team-high expected goals share of 78.9%, per MoneyPuck. He’s also sporting a career-high faceoff win percentage of 56.4%.
  • Staying with Tampa Bay, Krenn also reports that center Luke Glendening is absent from practice today with what the team labeled “body maintenance.” Glendening, 34, logged a season-high 15:52 and scored the game-winning goal against the Oilers yesterday. The veteran shutdown man has logged two goals, no assists and a -3 rating in 18 contests with the Bolts this year after signing a two-year, $1.6MM deal in free agency last summer.

Atlantic Notes: Klingberg, Timmins, Barkov, Andersson

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The Maple Leafs are concerned that John Klingberg’s undisclosed injury could linger for a while, relays David Alter of The Hockey News.  The veteran has struggled mightily in his first year with Toronto and it was recently revealed that he has been playing through an injury.  Head coach Sheldon Keefe indicated that they’re trying a more aggressive treatment with Toronto having a light schedule at the moment due to their trip to Sweden but that Klingberg is taking longer than they hoped to bounce back from it.  He has been ruled out for Sunday’s contest against Minnesota and if they want to consider an LTIR placement, that would keep him out through December 12th at a minimum.

Elsewhere in the Atlantic Division:

  • Still with the Maple Leafs, defenseman Conor Timmins skated today but isn’t expected to play against Minnesota on Sunday, Alter adds (Twitter link). The 25-year-old is still working his way back from a lower-body injury sustained late in the preseason.  Timmins, who is on LTIR, has been upgraded to being out day-to-day.  Toronto will have to send two players down to activate Timmins and his $1.1MM price tag once he’s cleared to return.
  • Panthers center Aleksander Barkov left Friday’s game against Anaheim after a hit from Jackson LaCombe early in the third period and did not return. Postgame, head coach Paul Maurice told reporters including Florida Hockey Now’s George Richards that there was no immediate update on him after the game.  Florida is flying back from its road trip today so an update on the captain likely won’t come until Sunday.  Barkov is off to a strong start to his season with 17 points in his first 16 games.
  • Lias Andersson had a good start to his season in Montreal’s farm system but that will be on hold for a while as their AHL affiliate announced (Twitter link) that the forward will miss six to eight weeks with a lower-body injury. The 25-year-old signed a two-way deal with the Canadiens in the summer after being non-tendered by Los Angeles.  Andersson, the seventh overall pick in 2017, has seven goals and two assists in ten games so far this season.

Panthers Notes: Ekblad, Montour, Barkov, Bennett

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Panthers defensemen Aaron Ekblad and Brandon Montour both skated today and are expected to take part in practice with the team on Sunday in non-contact jerseys, reports Florida Hockey Now’s George Richards.  Both players played through shoulder injuries in the playoffs, undergoing surgery soon after the Stanley Cup Final concluded.  The original expectation was that both players would be back sometime around mid-December.  However, head coach Paul Maurice suggested that the timeline could be moved up a bit, noting the veterans could be back by the end of next month which would certainly be a big boost with Ekblad and Montour being two of their top blueliners.  Ekblad is currently on LTIR while Montour is on regular injured reserve.

More from Florida:

  • The Panthers will welcome their captain back to the lineup tonight as play-by-play voice Steve Goldstein relays (Twitter link) that Aleksander Barkov will suit up after missing last game with an illness. The 28-year-old is off to a nice start to his season with six points in his first five appearances while averaging over 21 minutes a night.  Florida sent Mackie Samoskevich back to AHL Charlotte yesterday, signifying that they expected Barkov would be cleared to play today against Seattle.
  • While Sam Bennett also skated today, he will not suit up tonight, notes Bally Sports Florida’s Katie Engelson (Twitter link). The 27-year-old has yet to play so far this season due to a lingering lower-body injury.  Maurice indicated that Bennett remains listed as day-to-day but is close to returning; he is expected to accompany the Panthers on their upcoming road trip.  He’s coming off his second straight 40-point year despite missing 19 games due to injuries last season and his eventual return will certainly bolster Florida’s top six.

Florida Panthers Recall Samoskevich, Barkov Out Tonight

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Earlier today, the Florida Panthers announced they had recalled forward Mackie Samoskevich from their AHL affiliate, the Charlotte Checkers. Without a corresponding roster move made, CapFriendly would report that captain Aleksander Barkov is out of the lineup tonight as the team takes on the San Jose Sharks, giving context to the callup.

The 24th overall selection of the 2021 NHL Draft, Samoskevich finally made his way to Sunrise after an electric career at the University of Michigan in the NCAA. In 79 games over two years, rostered on one of the most talented college hockey teams of all time, Samoskevich would score 30 goals and 42 assists, en route to finally joining the Checkers at the end of last season.

Making the Panthers out of camp, Samoskevich has gotten off to an unimpressive start, albeit only after two games played in his young career. Florida had given him just under 15 minutes of ice time per game, with Samoskevich getting four shots on net, and generating a -2 rating.

The team had previously sent Samoskevich down to the AHL a week ago in favor of William Lockwood, but will now need to cover for the team as they deal with a mysterious absence from Barkov. It is unconfirmed at this point whether or not Barkov is dealing with an injury or something else altogether, it is only confirmed that the Panthers will be without their third-highest-scorer tonight.

Injury Updates: Barkov, Dadonov, Howden

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Florida Panthers team captain Aleksander Barkov has been given the green light to hit the ice in tonight’s potentially series-clinching Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Final against the Carolina Hurricanes, head coach Paul Maurice said today. Barkov’s status update comes after he missed most of Florida’s 1-0 Game 3 win, sustaining a lower-body injury on a first-period hit from Hurricanes forward Jack Drury.

The 27-year-old Finnish center’s leadership and two-way acumen have proven invaluable to the team’s success, displayed most recently by a highlight-reel goal in Game 2. His four goals and eight assists for 12 points are third on the team in playoff scoring behind linemate Carter Verhaeghe and Hart Trophy finalist Matthew Tkachuk.

The 2021 Selke Trophy winner will log heavy minutes tonight as he looks to advance to the first Stanley Cup Final of his career.

Aleksander Barkov Leaves Game 3, Not Expected Out Long-Term

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May 23, 9:25 am: This morning, head coach Paul Maurice offered more clarity on the situation, saying the Panthers were hopeful for his return during the contest, and the team remains optimistic their captain will make a swift recovery and be back in the lineup soon, with the injury not expected to be long-term, as he told Miami radio station WQAM.

May 22, 8:58 pm: Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman is reporting that Florida Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov left in the first period of game 3 in the Eastern Conference Finals and is questionable to return. Barkov took an innocent looking hit from Jack Drury and missed the final 7:04 of the first period. David Pagnotta of the NHL Network tweeted that Barkov is battling a lower-body injury, and it is still unclear if he will return.

The Panthers captain didn’t come out for the start of the second period, and little is known about his status at this time. Should the former second-overall pick miss any time, it could be a huge blow to the Cinderella story that is the Panthers’ playoff run. Barkov had three points in the first two games of their series against the Carolina Hurricanes, including a goal that Wayne Gretzky called one of the greatest moves he’s seen in the Stanley Cup playoffs. Barkov’s regular season numbers dipped a bit this year, but the 27-year-old center still had 23 goals and 55 assists in 68 games and has 12 points in 14 playoff games thus far.

The timing of the Barkov injury is interesting, given that head coach Paul Maurice mentioned to reporters this morning that the two of the Panthers’ best games this season occurred when Barkov and Sam Bennett were out of the team’s lineup. The Sportsnet broadcast crew brought up this Maurice quote from an interview that now seems ominous given the situation Barkov and Florida are now facing.

NHL Announces 2023 King Clancy Memorial Trophy Nominees

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In an announcement made Tuesday afternoon, the NHL unveiled the list of nominees for the 2023 King Clancy Memorial Trophy. The award is presented annually to the player who best exemplifies leadership qualities both on and off the ice, as well as making a noteworthy humanitarian contribution to their community.

The list of nominees for this year’s award is an impressive one, featuring some of the league’s most well-respected captains, such as Boston’s Patrice Bergeron and Florida’s Aleksander Barkov.

One notable nominee is one of the youngest captains in the league – Ottawa’s Brady Tkachuk. Tkachuk, in a few short years as a Senator, has already implanted himself in the community, especially in recent seasons. Working with the Boys and Girls Club of Ottawa, Tkachuk hosts the ’Tkachuk’s Captains’ program, which works with kids at club locations across Ottawa to help develop leadership skills.

That’s not to diminish the off-ice efforts of anyone else named on the full list of nominees, found below. While an often-overlooked award, it’s a great way to highlight some players who focus on making positive contributions to their communities.

Anaheim: Kevin Shattenkirk
Arizona: Travis Boyd
Boston: Patrice Bergeron
Buffalo: Alex Tuch
Calgary: Mikael Backlund
Carolina: Jordan Staal
Chicago: Connor Murphy
Colorado: Devon Toews
Columbus: Zach Werenski
Dallas: Jason Robertson
Detroit: Dylan Larkin
Edmonton: Darnell Nurse
Florida: Aleksander Barkov
Los Angeles: Mikey Anderson
Minnesota: Matt Dumba
Montreal: Jordan Harris
Nashville: Juuse Saros
New Jersey: Jack Hughes
NY Islanders: Anders Lee
NY Rangers: Jacob Trouba
Ottawa: Brady Tkachuk
Philadelphia: Scott Laughton
Pittsburgh: Evgeni Malkin
San Jose: Luke Kunin
Seattle: Chris Driedger
St. Louis: Brayden Schenn
Tampa Bay: Victor Hedman
Toronto: Morgan Rielly
Vancouver: Elias Pettersson
Vegas: Reilly Smith
Washington: Tom Wilson
Winnipeg: Blake Wheeler

Morning Notes: NHLPA Poll, Quick, Canadiens

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The NHLPA Player Poll has become a yearly fixture, giving fans an insight into what players have to say in popular public debates. This year’s edition dropped this morning with mostly expected results.

Tampa Bay Lightning netminder Andrei Vasilevskiy was voted by a wide margin as the goalie players would want in net with one game on the line for the second straight season, while the Colorado Avalanche’s Cale Makar was voted best defenseman in the league by a landslide. Connor McDavid won “most impactful forward in a must-win game,” no doubt buoyed by last year’s electric playoff performance. Other winners were Patrick Kane for best stick-handler, Leon Draisaitl for best passer, Sidney Crosby for most complete player, Brad Marchand for least enjoy playing against (but want on your team), Joe Pavelski for most effective net-front player, and Aleksander Barkov for most underrated. Marie-Philip Poulin was also voted as the women’s hockey player that NHL players would most like to play alongside, past or present, and the Bell Centre was voted as having the best ice in the NHL for the fifth time.

In off-ice results, Las Vegas was voted the best road city to have an off day, Marc-Andre Fleury was voted best locker room presence, and Auston Matthews was voted as having the best shoe game.

More notes from around the NHL this morning:

  • Now a Vegas Golden Knight, Stanley Cup-winning netminder Jonathan Quick continues to move up the all-time ranks. With last night’s road win against the Vancouver Canucks, Quick moved into sole possession of second place on the all-time wins list for American-born goaltenders, trailing only Ryan Miller. Quick now sits just 16 wins back of tying the all-time record with 375 wins under his belt.
  • In some rare positive injury news for the Montreal Canadiens this season, Jake Evans has returned to practice in a full-contact jersey, while Jesse Ylonen has returned to practice after missing the team’s last game with an illness, per TVA’s Renaud Lavoie. Ylonen hasn’t looked out of place in his first extended NHL look this season, recording five goals and 12 points in 29 games. Evans is nearing a return after missing over two months with a lower-body injury.

Snapshots: Alexandrov, Barkov, Avalanche

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The St. Louis Blues have recalled forward Nikita Alexandrov from the AHL’s Springfield Thunderbirds, the team announced in a press release Monday.

Alexandrov, 22, has suited up in 20 games with St. Louis this season, scoring three goals and adding two assists in his first NHL action. He has also recorded 23 points in 29 AHL games with Springfield. With the Blues making the transition to younger, less-proven players, Alexandrov could be given a chance to stick with the team for the remainder of the season.

Alexandrov has one more season remaining on his entry-level contract and will look to solidify his standing in St. Louis moving forward.

  • The Colorado Avalanche announced the recalls of Brad Hunt, Jonas Johansson, and Ben Meyers from the Colorado Eagles of the AHL. All three have been shuffled to and from Denver all season, as the Avs have tinkered with their lineup all year due to injuries. The Avs have made multiple recalls of goaltenders from the AHL in recent days, in addition to adding Keith Kinkaid from the Boston Bruins. Hunt has six points in 31 games for the Avs this season, Meyers has one goal in 31 games and Johansson has played in one game for Colorado this season.
  • The Florida Panthers will be without two forwards for miss Tuesday’s game against the Tampa Bay Lightning, as captain Aleksander Barkov and Sam Bennett have been ruled out for the game by head coach Paul Maurice, the team announced via Twitter. The injuries are not expected to be long-term, as they are both likely to return this weekend. Barkov has 50 points in 49 games this season, while Bennett has 35 points in 56 games.

Florida Panthers Recall Grigori Denisenko, Zac Dalpe

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The Florida Panthers have announced the recall of forwards Grigori Denisenko and Zac Dalpe from the AHL’s Charlotte Checkers. The move comes as the Panthers are dealing with injuries to key players, including captain Aleksander Barkov and Sam Bennett, who are both day-to-day with “lingering injury issues,” per head coach Paul Maurice.

Denisenko returns to the NHL after being sent to the minors two days ago. The 21-year-old Russian has appeared in 17 games for the Panthers this season, recording three assists. The Panthers’ first-round pick in the 2018 NHL Draft, Denisenko is known for his speed and skill, but his NHL opportunities have been limited, and he’s still searching for his first NHL goal.

Dalpe, 31, has scored 14 goals in 32 games for the Checkers this season and remains the team’s captain. A veteran of nearly 500 AHL games, Dalpe also has two goals and two assists in 11 appearances with Florida this season. He provides veteran depth in a fourth-line role for the Panthers after they lost Chris Tierney on waivers to the Montreal Canadiens yesterday.

In addition to the recalls, the Panthers will get a boost tonight in perhaps their biggest game of the year against the Buffalo Sabres, as the two teams remain in a tight Eastern Conference Wild Card race. As expected, Maurice confirmed Anthony Duclair will make his season debut after completing his recovery from an Achilles tear. The 27-year-old was a key contributor for the Panthers last season, recording 31 goals, 27 assists, and 58 points in 74 games.

To create the salary cap flexibility needed to activate Duclair and allow for the recalls, it’s expected that Givani Smith was placed on long-term injured reserve. The 24-year-old forward was hit in the face by a shot from teammate Radko Gudas during a game Monday. Smith has appeared in 22 games for the Panthers this season, recording a goal and three assists after he was acquired in a trade with the Detroit Red Wings.

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