Aleksander Barkov injury: Panthers consider Evgeny Kuznetsov as replacement

Dose
Crédit: NEW YORK, NEW YORK- MAY 13: Evgeny Kuznetsov #92 of the Carolina Hurricanes celebrates after a goal during the third period against the New York Rangers in Game Five of the Second Round of the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Madison Square Garden on May 13, 2024 in New York City. (Photo by Josh Lavallee/NHLI via Getty Images)

Yesterday, the Panthers received some bad news. Team captain Aleksander Barkov has suffered a major knee injury… and will miss between seven and nine months.A return to the playoffs is therefore possible… but he won’t play in the regular season.The two-time defending champions must therefore try to replace Barkov, which isn’t exactly easy to do. The names of Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin have been bandied about… but as of today, they’re not available. So we have to look to the free-agent market… and if Jack Roslovic is a logical candidate, another name has emerged in a text by Daria Tuboltseva(Research Ground).And that name… is Evgeny Kuznetsov.

[content-ads]Right now, the Panthers are reportedly considering signing him to replace Barkov. We hope the club doesn’t expect his defensive game to be similar to Barkov’s, hehe.Remember that Kuznetsov is clearly not the player he was in his prime. That said, last year he still managed 37 points in 39 games in the KHL (as Ivan Demidov’s teammate), and in a market where center players are hard (if not impossible) to find, Kuznetsov is one of the best bets on the market.

If he’s put in the right situation, he can contribute… but not as a first-choice center, we agree.It’s also worth noting that Tuboltseva’s article mentions that the Maple Leafs are among the favourites to sign Kuznetsov. The forward is “awaiting Toronto’s decision”, which suggests that the Leafs have a strong interest in the Russian forward,but if things go south, don’t be surprised if the Panthers become active in the matter. Spacertitle=’Overtime’]- Today’s

– Wow!

– Trevor Zegras and Matvei Michkov challenge each other in practice.

– Tough break for the Cubs.

– Too bad.