Aleksander Barkov has confirmed his status as the greatest player in the history of the Florida Panthers. Since being drafted with the second overall pick in the 2013 NHL Entry Draft, the Finnish native has slowly established himself as one of the best two-way forwards in the NHL. With his massive 6-foot-3, 214-pound frame, Barkov has used his strength and quick-witted mind to become one of the most dominant forces in recent memory.
More importantly, he has emerged as the face of a franchise that was known for losing and mediocrity. Before Barkov's arrival, Florida only reached the Stanley Cup Playoffs a whopping four times from 1993 to 2013. Over time, the now 29-year-old slowly contributed towards turning one of the NHL's biggest laughingstocks into a formidable and respectable team.
Along the arduous journey, Aleksander got praise due to his quiet and humble nature, as well as his growing talent. As his career has progressed, he has started to climb the leaderboards in several statistical categories in team history. Now he is first in Panthers history in multiple statistical categories.
He leads the franchise in games played(804), goals(286) assists(496), points(782), and offensive point shares(64.3). According to Hockey Reference, 'Sasha' is now second in team history in total point shares(86), only trailing behind goaltending icon Roberto Luongo(124). Assuming that nothing horrible goes wrong, he will pass Luongo at some point, as there are no signs of him slowing down anytime soon.
'Barky' has accomplished a lot. That's not to mention the two NHL All-Star Games he played in back in 2018 and 2023, the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy he won back in 2019, and of course being the captain of the franchise's first Stanley Cup championship last June. Now, as he is preparing to win the Stanley Cup for a second straight time, the Finnish center took home some more personal hardware.
On Monday, the longtime captain was awarded the third Frank J. Selke Trophy in his career, as well as the King Clancy Memorial Trophy. The Selke Trophy is given “to the forward who best excels in the defensive aspects of the game". The Clancy Trophy is awarded “to the player who best exemplifies leadership qualities on and off the ice and has made a noteworthy humanitarian contribution in his community.”
The NHL made the right choice to give one of the league's best players a double-whammy before heading off to Edmonton to face the Oilers in the Stanley Cup Final. Some individuals, whether they're members of the media or the fans, might view these trophies as minuscule. However, it does paint a picture of just how great Barkov has been when you do some deep digging.
The 12-year pro has now become the first player in NHL history to win both awards in the same season. Also, Barkov is now only the fourth player ever to receive both awards at some point during his career. He joins a small list featuring Boston legend Patrice Bergeron, Carolina and Pittsburgh great Ron Francis, as well as Dave Poulin.
As mentioned before, Barkov has won two other Selke Trophies before this one. His first came in 2021. The next came last year, and now he repeated as the Selke winner for 2025. Because of this, Barkov has joined another short and exclusive list. He is now the sixth player in history to win the Selke Trophy three times.
He has joined Bergeron, Bob Gainey, Guy Carbonneau, Pavel Datsyuk, and Jere Lehtinen as the only other players to accomplish this feat. That means the longest tenured Panther is on the same level as three Hockey Hall of Famers and a soon-to-be one in Bergeron. Barkov has already forged his path to the Hockey Hall of Fame. This is nothing short of amazing for a franchise that had little to be proud of for most of its existence.
What made the occasion heartwarming was how Barkov was presented with his awards. He was given the King Clancy Trophy mainly because he donated to the Joe DiMaggio Children's Hospital in Hollywood, Florida. Since partnering with the hospital in 2019 Barkov has continued to donate $1,600 for every goal he scores and $800 for every assist he collects throughout the entire season.
When given the Clancy award, he was supposed to be visiting kids at the hospital. However, a team meeting was scheduled. So, general manager Bill Zito pulled a clever trick up his sleeve. This time, the children from the hospital would go over to see him and the rest of the squad.
Barkov's efforts to help kids in need are just one of the many charitable activities members of the team do to help in the South Florida community. With the claiming of the King Clancy Trophy, the veteran joined another small list. This one might be more important to him than the others. Aleksander Barkov is now just the third Finnish-born player ever to receive the award.
The other two are Saku Koivu(2007) and Pekka Rinne(2021). 2024-25 has been another banner year for the quiet and humble center. He has enjoyed his fair share of individual glory, which continues to build the resume of one of the best players of this generation. The impact of Aleksander Barkov can't be understated, He's given life to a once moribund franchise.
He has been the leading catalyst of digging Florida out of the NHL basement. Now, he and the team set their sight on a more illustrious goal. That is to win back-to-back Stanley Cup championships. Barkov's determination as a player and leader will be fully seen once again.