Panthers’ Aleksander Barkov, out all season, eyes chance to play for Finland at hockey worlds

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — Aleksander Barkov intends to play hockey sooner rather than later.

The Florida captain, who missed the entirety of the Panthers’ season because of a major knee injury suffered 20 minutes into his first practice of training camp, plans to accept an invitation to play for his native Finland at the world championships next month.

It would be his first time in competitive games since the Panthers won their second consecutive Stanley Cup last June.

“It’s a big honor to represent Finland for me,” said Barkov, who would have been Finland’s captain at the Milan Cortina Olympics in February if not for the knee injury. “One of those childhood dreams — to win world championships — is a big goal for me, too. So, I’m really excited about that. I’ve been working really hard to get in shape.”

If the Panthers were in the playoffs, Barkov’s comeback would probably have already happened. He’s been skating for months, but Florida knew all along that it would likely take most, if not all, of the regular season for him to be cleared for actual contact.

The Panthers — who had more than half of their regular lineup sidelined by injuries this season and currently have eight players on the roster with a fracture of some sort — fell out of playoff contention weeks ago, and that doomed any chance of a Barkov comeback this season.

“For him, I think it’s really special,” Panthers general manager and hockey operations president Bill Zito said. “He missed so much hockey, he wants to play hockey. It’s great.”

There are a few other Panthers who may play in the world championships, including Olympic gold medalist Matthew Tkachuk for the U.S. Tkachuk said Wednesday that nothing is finalized, but he would like to play — if healthy and if it makes sense for his family.

The worlds will be held in Switzerland starting May 15.

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