Aleksander Barkov as the NHL’s MVP and his Florida Panthers in the 2019 Stanley Cup Finals — that’s the prediction offered in print by long-time New York Post hockey columnist Larry Brooks.
And while Brooks’ predictions are certainly bold, they are also a sign of the increased respect generated this season by the Panthers, who open their 2018-2019 schedule on Saturday at the Tampa Bay Lightning.
The latest power rankings from Luke Fox of Sportsnet have the Panthers as the eighth-best team in the NHL.
ESPN, meanwhile, ranks the Panthers as the eighth-best team in the Eastern Conference, which would make Florida a playoff team.