NHL

Aleksander Barkov Becomes Tenth Florida Panthers Captain in  Franchise History

On Monday, the Panthers made a huge announcement. The announcement was that forward Aleksander Barkov has been named the new captain for the squad, stripping forward Derek Mackenzie of the title. This comes just hours before their preseason double-header against the Nashville Predators. In addition, Barkov is the youngest captain in Panthers history at 23 years old. As a result, this shows that the team is trusting their young core.

The Finnish forward is well deserving of the “C” on his jersey from last season alone. He notched a career high 78 points (27 goal, 51 assists) in 79 games last season, leading the Panthers in scoring. In addition, Florida’s young core of players can rally around him such as alternative captains Vincent Trocheck and Aaron Ekblad.

Additionally, Barkov is arguably the best shootout player in the NHL, converting on 51.7% of all his career shootout attempts. Last season, he scored four shootout goals out of a possible six, leaving him with a 66.7% conversion rate.

Aleksander Barkov’s career overview

Barkov was selected 2nd overall in the 2013 NHL draft, and he made an immediate impact upon his arrival to South Florida. He played 54 games in his first year notching 24 points in those games. This was only the beginning. The Finnish superstar notched 36 points in 71 games in the 2014-2015 season. The next season would be a career year for him. In the 2015-2016 season, Barkov would scored a career high 28 goals in 66 games and lead the Florida Panthers to their best regular season in franchise history, this included an Atlantic Division title. As a result, Barkov got his first taste of playoff action, notching two goals in six games. Unfortunately, the Panthers fell to the New York Islanders 4-2 that first round.

The next season would be somewhat of a slump for Barkov, but not much. He would play in 61 games, notching 52 points. Which is a drop off from the season prior with 59. In his defense, the Panthers completely changed their front office and coaching staff that season. In the middle of the season head coach Gerard Gallant was fired and was replaced by general manager Tom Rowe.

As previously mentioned, Aleksander Barkov had a career high in points in the 2017-2018 season. That season, he would attend his first career All-Star game. In addition, Barkov would be nominated for the Selke trophy that season.

Aleksander Barkov has the speed and talent to get the job done. He alone makes the Panthers a potential playoff contender, and now Aleksander Barkov has been named the new captain. As a result, he is now steering the ship that may lead to a Stanley Cup.

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Photo Credit

Photo Courtesy of David Olshan