The Florida Panthers already knew that the winning the Stanley Cup for the third straight season wasn't going to be easy.

Their challenge got significantly more difficult, though, with the news that center Aleksander Barkov , their captain and a three-time winner of the Selke Trophy as the NHL's top defensive forward, is expected to at least miss the entire regular season after having surgery on his right knee on Friday. The Panthers announced the recovery time is 7-9 months.

"There's no hiding it," coach Paul Maurice said. "That's a hole. That's the big man. He is such an important piece in that locker room."

Losing Barkov, who was injured during a training camp practice Thursday, with left wing Matthew Tkachuk , who general manager Bill Zito said had surgery Aug. 22 to repair a to

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