Previewing The Florida Panthers Offense: Part 1

Oct 3, 2013; Dallas, TX, USA; Florida Panthers center Aleksander Barkov (16) and Dallas Stars defenseman Brenden Dillon (4) fight for the puck during the first period at American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

Aleksander Barkov

Height: 6’3″ Weight: 209 Age: 18

2012-13 Season:

Playing in Finland’s top professional league as a 17-year-old, Aleksander Barkov produced 48 points in 53 games (21-27-48). His stellar performance at such a young age had NHL scouts salivating over his future. The Panthers thought so highly of Barkov that they selected him with their second overall pick in the 2013 NHL Entry Draft passing on North American prospects D Seth Jones and F Jonathan Drouin.

2013-14 Projection:

Barkov earned a spot on the Panthers roster centering the second line with Jonathan Huberdeau and Brad Boyes. Barkov impressed in his NHL debut scoring a goal in the Panthers’ 4-2 win over the Dallas Stars. At age 18 years, 31 days, Barkov became the youngest player to score an NHL goal in 70 years.  While he has 30-plus goal scoring potential in the future, a modest guess for year one is somewhere around 20 goals.