NHL Injury Roundup: Barkov, Celebrini and Sanderson Among Early Setbacks
Aleksander Barkov, captain of the Florida Panthers during pre-game warm-ups prior to a game in the 2024 Stanley Cup Finals on June 24, 2024. Photo by Adam K Goodman
Written by Ryan McAvoy
The first week of the 2026-27 NHL season has come to an end, but new injuries across the league have created questions about what the future holds for some teams.
Panthers Lose Their Leader… Again
After defeating the reigning Stanley Cup champions, the Carolina Hurricanes, in the first game of the season, the Florida Panthers lost captain Aleksander Barkov after he suffered a lower-body injury in their second game against the San Jose Sharks. He left the game and did not return for the third period or overtime. The Panthers went on to lose 4-3 to the San Jose Sharks.
This is devastating for Florida, especially since Barkov missed the entire 2025-26 season due to an ACL injury he sustained on the first day of the Panthers’ training camp in September 2025. To make matters worse, there is currently no timeline for his return. The franchise suffered greatly in his absence last season, going 40-38-4 and missing the playoffs. It was a hard fall for a team that had won the Stanley Cup the two previous years.
Similar to last year, the Panthers will have to make do without him for the time being and focus on the season ahead. Fortunately, with the offseason addition of Brady Tkachuk the Panthers can hopefully fine-tune their starting lines and deliver wins to the fans who have become all too familiar with winning.
Sharks Star Felled by Warmups
In the first Monday night game of the season, San Jose center Macklin Celebrini left the matchup against the Dallas Stars moments before the puck dropped due to a lower-body injury. The Sharks went on to lose 5-0 to the Stars. It was a shock not only to the fans but to Celebrini’s teammates as well, who skated with him during a Monday morning practice.
“He’s obviously a big part of our team,” said winger Will Smith. “But we needed a better effort than that tonight, and that definitely doesn't reflect the type of team we are.”
There is still no word on what exactly caused the injury, but Celebrini was evaluated at the American Airlines Center in Dallas and stayed for the duration of the game. It is promising that he was able to stay at the facility, but after a crushing defeat and their first loss of the season, the injury has the organization and fans wondering what moves need to be made to ensure stronger performances going forward.
Rather than replace a hole in their offensive line, the Sharks should look to redistribute Celebrini's minutes among the forwards. So far this season, Celebrini has led the forwards in minutes on ice, and more evenly dividing the ice time between lines may help compensate for his absence while he recovers.
Can Ottawa Keep Its Momentum?
The Senators are off to a strong start this season with a 2-0 record. They had a tight 3-2 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs but lost star defenseman Jake Sanderson in the first period. He was sidelined with an undisclosed injury and is listed as out indefinitely. Sanderson had been dealing with an injury throughout training camp and the preseason, raising concerns about a possible re-injury after he left Saturday’s game.
After Sanderson’s exit, Cameron Crotty joined Ottawa's blue line in their next match against the Bruins and played in his first game this season. The sophomore Crotty had a tough showing, with zero shots, zero blocked shots, and zero points. While he is still listed on Ottawa's lineup, his time with the Senators may be cut short depending on Sanderson’s return timeline or if they decide to bring up someone else. That gives Crotty an opportunity to prove he is ready for a bigger role and show the Senators he belongs in the lineup.
Despite the Senators’ shuffling of their defensive pairings, they were able to hold down their side of the ice while the offense handled business up front. The Senators had a commanding 4-1 win against the Boston Bruins on Monday night. However, they are only two games in and have 80 more to go. It may be a long road ahead for Ottawa without Sanderson, but for now, fans of the Senators should be content that their team is off to a solid start to the year.
