It didn’t take long before adversity hit Aleksander Barkov, Brad Marchand, and the Florida Panthers. With the 2025-26 NHL season on the horizon, a potential injury on the captain could threatened the Cats’ hopes of a Stanley Cup three-peat.

The air in Sunrise suddenly grew thicker. After a summer-long celebration after back-to-back Stanley Cups, the Panthers are now staring down a potentially season-changing hurdle. It’s not like Marchand, Barkov, and the Cats haven’t grown used to them, but it might be more than the team can take.

With Matthew Tkachuk on the NHL’s long-term injured reserve (LTIR), Marchand and the forwards group knew they’d have to work overtime. Now, those extra hours might only multiply.

“Aleksander Barkov sustained an apparent right leg injury during training camp o

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