Aleksander Barkov doesn’t need to play games for the hockey world to see his importance.
The NHL Network released its top 20 centers rankings on Sunday night, with the Florida Panthers captain ranking fifth. This ranking comes in spite of the 30-year-old missing every game of the 2025-26 season with an ACL and MCL injury.
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When the NHL Network released its rankings last season, Barkov landed fourth overall. Barkov was coming off back-to-back Stanley Cup victories and had posted 20 goals and 71 points in the regular season, taking home the Selke Trophy as the NHL’s best defensive forward.
While the lack of game action to base Barkov’s ranking on is difficult, Barkov deserves grace as he has been one of the most consistent two-way centers in the NHL for the past decade.
The four centers ranked ahead of Barkov include Edmonton Oilers’ Connor McDavid, Colorado Avalanche’s Nathan MacKinnon, San Jose Sharks’ Macklin Celebrini, and Oilers’ Leon Draisaitl.
Barkov landed ahead of notable centers like Vegas Golden Knights’ Jack Eichel, Pittsburgh Penguins’ Sidney Crosby, and Toronto Maple Leafs’ Auston Matthews.
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“Although Barkov missed the entire 2025-26 season because of injury, he has been one of the best all-around players in the game for a decade,” said the NHL Network in its press release. “He scored at least 20 goals and 50 points for 10 straight seasons (2015-25) and has won at least 53 percent of his face-offs for eight straight. Barkov had 71 points (20 goals, 51 assists) in 67 games in 2024-25 to captain the Panthers to their second straight Stanley Cup title; he had 44 points (14 goals, 30 assists) in 47 playoff games during the Panthers’ back-to-back runs. Florida’s all-time points leader (782), he has also won the Selke Trophy (best defensive forward) three times including each of the past two seasons he has played.”
Should The Florida Panthers Have Any Concerns About Aleksander Barkov’s Health Heading Into The 2026-27 Season?
Should The Florida Panthers Have Any Concerns About Aleksander Barkov’s Health Heading Into The 2026-27 Season?Florida Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov suffered a gruesome injury last season, missing the entire 2025-26 NHL season. Should there be any concerns about his health heading into the 2026-27 season?
Sam Bennett was one of the final centers to make the rankings last year, but after a season dealing with some nagging injuries, Bennett missed the cut. Anton Lundell was also left off the list, but with some of the heavy hitters making the list, it wasn’t surprising to see either of these players omitted.
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Barkov will have to prove once again that he deserves this spot in the rankings next year. Coming off his injury won’t be an easy task, but Barkov has all the tools to bounce back without any issue.
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