From Finland, Aleksander Barkov had lofty expectations coming in as the number two overall pick in 2013.  It is safe to say that the Panthers obtained a player who came as advertised.

Barkov saw ample playing time as a rookie, but Florida made sure to ease the Center into action.  He had a breakout of sorts in his third year, scoring 59 Points with strong two-way play.  After another 50-Point-plus year,   Barkov increased his production to 78 Points, and then to 96 in 2018-19.  Barkov, who also had impressed people with his clean style of play, won the Lady Byng Trophy.

Barkov built on that success with a Frank J. Selke Trophy in 2020-21 and a playoff appearance.  He would take them to the Eastern Conference Semi-Finals in 2022-23.  As it turned out, that was just the beginning for the first Finnish player to be a Captain of an NHL team.   Barkov continued his exemplary two-way play, and in 2023-24, he would lead the Panthers to their first Stanley Cup Championship, winning his second Selke Award.  It was a spectacular season, but he had a lot more left to give to the team.

Last year, Barkov fought through injuries to win his third Selke and was awarded the King Clancy Award for his perseverance and grit.  More importantly, Barkov and the Panthers won their second Stanley Cup, cementing not just the Panthers of the 2020s but also Barkov as legendary.

Barkov tore his ACL going into the 2025-26 season, but we believe he is already the best Florida Panther of all time.   

November 23 – December 13, 1959
Bobby Darin
Mack the Knife

Kristian Huselius would actually have had much better seasons in his NHL career with the Calgary Flames, but he did string together two straight 20 Goal Seasons as a Panther.  He would finish third in Calder Trophy voting in 2001-02.  Huselius had 127 Points for Florida.

From the University of Minnesota, Nick Bjugstad played the first six-and-a-half seasons with the Florida Panthers, where the Center scored 191 Points for the team 

The former “Mr. Hockey” (in Minnesota) had a 20 Goal season in 2014-15, and he twice cracked the 40-Point mark with Florida.  He was traded to Pitsburgh during the 2018-19 Season.