Florida Panthers forward Aleksander Barkov was a participant in the NHL All Star Weekend for the first time in his career. Not only was this a very significant moment in his career, but also for his team’s organization itself. While the All-Star break was definitely a milestone for the Finnish forward, this point in the season had importance for other reasons.
Obviously, the organization and fan base wasn’t expecting a franchise season after the previous offseason departures. After sending away multiple top-six forwards in Jussi Jokinen, Reilly Smith, Jonathan Marchessault, and Jaromir Jagr, yet another hole was dug for the Cats, leaving expectations lower than they’ve been for a while.