Barkov Timeline Throws Cold Water on Dylan Larkin Trade
Aleksander Barkov going on long-term injured reserve is the one thing that ever made a Dylan Larkin trade to Florida fit on paper. The Panthers sit just under $1 million over the $104 million ceiling, and Barkov’s $10 million cap hit coming off the active roster is the only room big enough to hold Larkin’s $8.7 million.
The catch arrived with the timeline. Barkov hurt his left leg in the second period of Florida’s 4-3 overtime loss to the San Jose Sharks on Oct. 2, the Panthers’ second game of the season, and ESPN reported his MRI did not show the worst-case scenario. This is not a lost season. That is good news in Florida and cold water on the idea that the Red Wings captain is headed there.
Armando Velez of Locked On Panthers reported the length of the absence.
“Just been told that Aleksander Barkov’s injury will sideline him in the range of 10-12 weeks. That timeline would have him returning around Christmas/New Years.”
Florida has not put a number on it. The team placed Barkov on long-term injured reserve on Oct. 5 and sent him to a specialist before committing to anything. “We don’t even know the extent of it yet, so it doesn’t feel anything like last year,” coach Paul Maurice said. Last year was the whole year: Barkov missed all of 2025-26 with torn ligaments in his right knee.
Why a Dylan Larkin Trade Needed Barkov on LTIR
Long-term injured reserve is not free money. It gives a team relief up to the injured player’s cap hit, and it carries a floor: 10 games and 24 days. Barkov clears that floor easily at 10 to 12 weeks, so Florida has real spending room for the first time this season.
That is the version of this story that put Larkin and the Panthers in the same sentence last week. Larkin’s $8.7 million runs through 2030-31. Fit him in now and Florida has to fit him in again when Barkov walks back into the room, and that bill comes due in the middle of a season rather than in an offseason.
A New Year’s Return Changes Florida’s Math
A season-ending injury would have handed the Panthers Barkov’s $10 million for the rest of the year with nothing to give back. A December or January return hands it over on loan. Federico O’donnell of Bolavip read it the same way.
“As for the Larkin rumors, if Barkov indeed avoided a season-ending injury and could be back before the end of December, Florida could be out of the running for the Red Wings’ disgruntled forward.”
Florida can still shop for a cheaper forward on a short-term deal and give the money back in January without flinching. An $8.7 million center signed for five more years is the opposite of that trade.
Larkin Is About to Be Back on the Ice in Detroit
Larkin has his own injury, though it is a much smaller one. He hurt his upper body in off-ice training in September, Detroit moved him to a non-roster injured reserve spot on Oct. 2, and coach Todd McLellan said he would miss the first two games of the season, with Tuesday’s home date against the Ottawa Senators as the target. Availability is not what is slowing this down.
What is slowing it down is the money and the control. Larkin, 30, asked for a trade in the offseason, he holds a no-trade clause, and his list started at three teams: Florida, the Minnesota Wild and the Vegas Golden Knights. Take Florida off that list and Detroit is working a thinner market, not a hotter one.
Barkov’s specialist visit is the next real piece of news. A worse diagnosis puts Florida back in on Larkin. Anything that reads like Christmas keeps the captain in Detroit a while longer.
Source: sports.yahoo.com — article syndicated from the publisher’s feed; all rights remain with the original publisher.