The Florida Panthers got some bad injury news about captain Aleksander Barkov ahead of the season.
Barkov suffered a knee injury in practice and had to undergo surgery and is expected to be out several months, as he could be done for the season. With Barkov out for the foreseeable future and Matthew Tkachuk out for months, the Panthers could look to make a move for another player.
NHL insider Greg Wyshynski was on The Sheet podcast with Jeff Marek and urged the Panthers to acquire Evgeni Malkin from the Pittsburgh Penguins.
“I think the obvious answer is you trade for Geno (Evgeni) Malkin at some point,” Wyshynski said. “(He’s) on an expiring contract and on a team that is dying to turn him into assets.”
Malkin is entering the final year of his four-year, $24.4 million deal with the Penguins. His name has come up in trade rumors as Pittsburgh is unlikely to re-sign him.
Although the Russian is 39, he’s still an effective player and can add some secondary scoring for the Panthers. He recorded 16 goals and 34 assists for 50 points in 68 games last season.
Malkin is a three-time Stanley Cup champion and won the Conn Smythe as the playoff MVP in 2009. The Russian is also a seven-time NHL All-Star and will be a first-ballot Hall of Famer.
Barkov Injury Creates a ‘Hole’ in Panthers Lineup
Barkov is expected to be out 7-9 months after undergoing surgery on his ACL and MCL in his right knee.
Following the news of the injury, Panthers head coach Paul Maurice admitted
“There’s no hiding it, that’s a hole,” Maurice said. “That’s the big man, right? [Barkov] has such an important place in that locker room. I think what we’re going to get to experience now is you’ll get to know some of the other leaders that we have in our room. We’ll get to see other players and, at the end of the day, I know there’s the idea, ‘next man up,’ I get all that, but there’s not a next man for ‘Barky’s’ skates. So, we’ve just got to share it. It’s got to spread across the room and the coaches.
“You don’t want this to happen, but it might as well happen early so we can deal with it and learn a lot more about the other players we have. … It was 20 minutes into the first practice and we hadn’t even gotten into anything heavy yet. He’s not breathing hard at that point. It’s a fluke play,” Maurice added.
Barkov was a key member of the Panthers’ roster, helping them win the Stanley Cup in back-to-back years.
Malkin Unsure if he Wants to be Traded
Pittsburgh is expected to be one of the worst teams in the NHL this season.
With the Penguins in the midst of a rebuild, Malkin’s name has come up in trade rumors. However, he says he isn’t sure if he would like to be traded.
“It’s hard, you know?” Malkin said. “But again, we see a story, like, with Brad Marchand. Looking good, you know? Again, if the team trades you and you [don’t] win the Cup, it’s like a little bit weird, too, you know? But we’ll see what’s going on [with] my future.
“But of course everybody wants to try to play in the playoffs and have maybe one more run to the Cup. Again, it’s a great story when you see it on TV. But I don’t know how I [would] feel if the team wants to trade me,” Malkin added.
Malkin has spent his entire 19-year career with the Penguins.
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