Overview
- Aleksander Barkov sustained ACL and MCL tears in his right knee during training camp and is expected to miss seven to nine months, effectively ruling him out for the regular season.
- GM Bill Zito said the club must do things differently and is evaluating all options, with Barkov’s placement on LTIR creating roughly $10 million in temporary cap space.
- Internal adjustments are underway with Anton Lundell projected to center the top line as players such as Mackie Samoskevich, Evan Rodrigues, Sam Reinhart and Sam Bennett take on larger roles.
- The depth test deepens with Matthew Tkachuk targeting a return no earlier than December and Tomas Nosek sidelined indefinitely with a knee injury.
- Bookmakers cut Florida’s Cup odds and boosted rivals, with reports highlighting gains for Carolina, Tampa Bay and Vegas; a rumored pursuit of Evgeni Malkin was debunked, and no external acquisitions have been finalized as the team initially looks within.