Panthers GM Bill Zito gets 100% real on Aleksander Barkov replacement after serious injury - "Don’t look at it like it’s Lundell’s job"

Florida Panthers president of hockey operations Bill Zito discussed the team’s plans after Aleksander Barkov’s injury. The injury happened during the first full day of training camp, after a collision with defenseman Niko Mikkola. Barkov had surgery on his ACL and MCL on Friday.

The Panthers captain is expected to miss seven to nine months, which is a big setback for the back-to-back Stanley Cup champions. The expectation is that forward Anton Lundell would take on his role in his absence.

Zito highlighted on Sunday that they will adjust, but no single player is expected to replace Aleksander Barkov.

"I’m not being cavalier, but I don’t look at it like it’s Lundell’s job (to replace Barkov) or it’s anybody’s job," Zito said, via The Athletic. "I just look at it that, look, we might play a little differently with him out of the lineup, but we still have to play hockey."

Zito added that the team will fix minor errors and keep moving forward.

"Everybody still has to do their best," Zito said. "And we’ll clean up as many minor margins of error as we can, and we soldier on. It’s going to be hard, but I think our guys are ready, and you know the effort is going to be there and the focus is going to be there.”

Barkov has been the core of Florida. He scored 71 points (20 goals, 51 assists) in 67 games last season, ranking second in the Panthers' skating stats. He also had 22 points (six goals, 16 assists) in 23 playoff games.

Florida coach Paul Maurice previously made it clear there is no direct replacement for Barkov.

"That’s a hole," Maurice said on Friday, via NHL.com. "That’s the big man, right? (Barkov) has such an important place in that locker room."

Lundell could step up in Aleksander Barkov's absence

NHL inisider Elliotte Friedman believes Anton Lundell could take a bigger role for the Panthers this season. With Aleksander Barkov out, Lundell may handle tougher matchups. He is already nicknamed “Baby Barkov” because of his similar playing style.

“I'm really interested to see if Lundell becomes the guy who takes a lot of those tough matchups," Friedman said on Monday, via the "32 Thoughts" podcast. "Does Lundell become Barkov-like even more than he already is? Oh, yeah, what's one of his nicknames? 'Baby Barkov.' That's right.”

Lundell scored 17 goals and had 45 points last season. He has shown good offensive skills through four campaigns, and Friedman expects him to step up and help the Panthers stay strong in the playoffs.