Barkov to miss 7-9 months after knee surgery

Florida Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov underwent knee surgery Friday and was given a recovery timeline of seven-to-nine months, the team announced.

The timeline will force him to miss the Olympics in February and could keep him out the entire regular season.

Here's the play from practice where he was injured.

Barkov notched 71 points in 67 games last season, winning his second straight and third career Selke Trophy as the league's best defensive forward. He added six goals and 16 assists in 23 playoff appearances to captain the Panthers to back-to-back Stanley Cups.

Florida will be tested without Barkov, but few teams are better equipped to handle the loss of a No. 1 center. Reigning Conn Smythe Trophy winner Sam Bennett and emerging 23-year-old Anton Lundell project to center Florida's top two lines in Barkov's absence. However, depth center Tomas Nosek is also expected to miss several months with a knee injury.

The Panthers are also beginning the season without heart-and-soul winger Matthew Tkachuk, who is expected to be sidelined until at least December as he recovers from offseason surgery.