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Aleksander Barkov News
Barkov (upper-body) will return to the Panthers lineup on Friday.

Barkov has been sidelined since December 28th, but will return to the Panthers’ top line tonight. In addition to Barkov, Jonathan Huberdeau will make his season debut which is huge for Barkov. They played together a ton last season and should be reunited tonight. Before getting hurt, Barkov had nine goals and 18 assists (27 points) in 36 games.

Aleksander Barkov
Barkov (upper-body) is at least two weeks away from returning.

There were rumblings that Barkov could miss the rest of the 2016-17 season, but it seems like if he can avoid surgery he will return at some point this season. Barkov was having a great year, scoring nine goals with 18 assists (27 points) in 36 games and it appears as if he is still at least two weeks away from returning to the lineup.

Aleksander Barkov
Barkov left Wednesday’s game with an undisclosed injury and did not return.

Barkov played 9:05 TOI before retiring to the dressing room in the Panthers’ shootout loss to the Maple Leafs. Panthers’ head coach Tom Rowe did not have an update on Barkov postgame, but he is considered questionable for Thursday’s game vs. the Canadiens. If he doesn’t play, expect Vincent Trocheck to play a significant role.

Aleksander Barkov
The Panthers have activated Aleksander Barkov (upper-body) from IR; will play on Thursday.

Barkov missed the last six games with an upper-body injury he suffered in Detroit on February 8th. Barkov should immediately be re-inserted into your fantasy lineup. He has 16 goals and 19 assists (35 points) in 43 games this season. He’ll centre the top line between Jaromir Jagr and Jussi Jokinen.

Aleksander Barkov
Barkov (upper-body) will not play on Tuesday; no timetable for his return.

Barkov suffered an upper-body injury on a hit by Red Wings’ forward Justin Abdelkader on Monday. With Barkov out, Nick Bjugstad will skate on the Panthers’ top line with Jonathan Huberdeau and Jaromir Jagr. There was no update on the severity of Barkov’s injury, but we should get an update in the next 48 hours.

Aleksander Barkov
Barkov left Monday's game with an upper-body injury and did not return.

Barkov was crunched in his own zone by Red Wings forward Justin Abdelkader and left the game with a potential concussion. Barkov has turned into a star this season and this would be a huge blow to the Panthers offence if he misses an extended period of time. If he’s out for any period of time, look for Nick Bjugstad to play an extended role for the Panthers.

Aleksander Barkov
Barkov will miss 2-4 weeks with a broken hand; will not need surgery.

The Panthers caught a break when the doctors announced that Barkov will not require surgery on his broken hand and could only miss two weeks. Barkov has had a great start to the season, registering three goals and three assists in seven games. It sounds like Barkov will miss at least six games, but it could have been worse.

Aleksander Barkov