The Florida Panthers will begin the 2025-26 season without two key players. Captain Aleksander Barkov had surgery on his right knee on Friday, and is expected to miss seven to nine months. Forward Matthew Tkachuk is also out after adductor surgery and will not return until December. Additionally, Tomas Nosek and Jonah Gadjovich are also dealing with injuries.Teammates know Barkov cannot be replaced, but stressed the need to rally together. Speaking to the media on Saturday, defenseman Aaron Ekblad called it a huge loss but said the team can grind through."Obviously losing Barky is a huge loss," Ekblad said. "There's no way to replace him. We know that. At the end of the day, it might just make our games a little more of a grind. That'll be fun, something to rally around. It'll be great to see him once we get him back."'Jameson Olive @JamesonCoopLINKEkblad: "Obviously losing Barky is a huge loss. There's no way to replace him. We know that. At the end of the day, it might just make our games a little more of a grind. That'll be fun, something to rally around. It'll be great to see him once we get him back."Anton Lundell said the Panthers have many leaders ready to step up:"We have a lot of leaders in the room. It's not going to be quiet in the room. We have a good group of guys."Jameson Olive @JamesonCoopLINKLundell on starting the season w/o Barkov and Tkachuk: "We have a lot of leaders in the room. It's not going to be quiet in the room. We have a good group of guys."Brad Marchand also reacted to Barkov's injury."He’s the best two-way player in the game," Marchand said on Saturday. "You can’t replace that. But, collectively as a group, you just try to all pick up a little piece of that and try a little bit harder, try to fill in where you can, and hopefully as a group, you can come together.”Marchand talked about the outside doubt due to injuries."I don't think this group needs fuel," Marchand said. "We know who we are. We know what our goals are and we're looking to do this year."Barkov was injured in practice after colliding with defenseman Niko Mikkola. The 30-year-old center recorded 71 points in 67 games last season. His absence creates a major challenge for the defending champions.Paul Maurice talked about Aleksander Barkov's injuryFlorida Panthers coach Paul Maurice said Aleksander Barkov’s importance goes beyond statistics. He noted that his leadership and presence in the locker room are irreplaceable."There’s no hiding it, that’s a hole," Maurice said on Friday, via NHL.com. "That’s the big man, right? Has such an important place in that locker room. I think what we’re going to get to experience now is you'll get to know some of the other leaders that we have in our room."Other Panthers players will now need to step up as leaders. However, Maurice added that there is no direct replacement for Aleksander Barkov, so responsibility must be shared."I know there’s the idea, ‘next man up,’ I get all that, but there’s not a next man for 'Barky’s' skates," Maurice said. "So, we've just got to share it. It's got to spread across the room and the coaches."The Panthers will open their season on Oct. 7 against the Chicago Blackhawks.