Barkov placed on long-term injured reserve by Panthers, timeline unknown

Florida Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov was placed on long-term injured reserve on Saturday with a lower-body injury sustained during a 4-3 overtime loss to the San Jose Sharks on Thursday. The 31-year-old left in the second period and will miss at least 10 games and 24 days, with a doctor's appointment scheduled for Monday to determine the full extent of the injury. This comes after Barkov had already missed the entire 2025-26 NHL season due to MCL and ACL surgery on his right knee, and was playing only his second game back this season.