Panthers HC Paul Maurice drops sarcastic three-word response as captain Aleksander Barkov remains point-less against Oilers

Aleksander Barkov has had a very poor outing during the first two games of the Stanley Cup Final, but it hasn't hurt his team that much. Despite a complete absence from their captain, the Florida Panthers are tied 1-1.

Barkov has zero points. He has yet to record a goal or an assist despite there being nine periods of hockey and eight Panthers goals through the two games. Head coach Paul Maurice was asked about it Monday.

He joked:

"We're trading him."

It's rare for Barkov, the captain of the Panthers, to be held out of the point column, but the Edmonton Oilers have done just that. The center had 71 points in the 2024-25 regular season. He also had 17 points through 17 playoff outings before the final.

He has, however, not been very impactful in the Stanley Cup Playoffs at large. All told, Barkov has been zero plus minus despite some huge games against the Carolina Hurricanes and Toronto Maple Leafs.

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Paul Maurice lauds Aleksander Barkov

Aleksander Barkov is the captain of a team that's gone to three consecutive Stanley Cup Final and is attempting to win its second straight. He has been an instrumental leader, one whom head coach Paul Maurice is glad to have.

Aleksander Barkov has led the Panthers (Imagn)

Prior to the Stanley Cup Final, Maurice said, via NHL:

“We have a really kind of diverse group of guys, lots of different personalities, lots of different styles, and they don’t try to change themselves. They’re all just themselves, right? And just whatever their personality is, they can come to the rink and just be themselves. They don’t have to pretend."

He continued:

“So, you get a really good glimpse of a man, who he is. Then you get to know him a little better because it’s actually who he is, it’s not a persona or he’s not a caricature of an NHL player or a pro sports guy or a big leaguer, whatever.

"You just get to meet him as who he is, and that probably affects the connections that they make.”

Eventually, Barkov's leadership is expected to show up on the ice and help the Panthers score and potentially win. Without his scoring output, they might have a tough time repeating.