The news has gone from bad to worse for the Florida Panthers, as Aleksander Barkov will join Matthew Tkachuk on the sidelines indefinitely after undergoing knee surgery Friday.
The Panthers are a deep squad and can still ice a lot of firepower up front and on the power play. The top line figures to feature Sam Bennett flanked by Carter Verhaeghe and Sam Reinhart, while the second line will be centered by Anton Lundell with Brad Marchand and Eetu Luostarinen on his wings.
The top power-play unit would have Marchand join the top trio with Seth Jones on the point.
Lundell's solidified role in the top 6 jumped him into the top 150 in the fantasy hockey rankings, with an additional 5 goals and 7 assists added to his 2025-26 fantasy hockey projection.
Barkov's uncertain status makes him borderline un-rosterable in redraft leagues, though he could be a smart use of an IR spot, assuming your league has enough to withstand other injuries as well. In keeper/dynasty leagues, he's an intriguing acquisition on the assumption that, at age 30, he can eventually return and be a point-per-game top-6 forward.
