There is no arguing that the Florida Panthers have one of the best captains in the NHL.
Sasha Barkov has grown into an elite two-way centerman since being selected second overall by the Panthers at the 2013 NHL Draft.
For a good part of Barkov’s career he was considered underrated, ‘the best player you haven’t heard of.’
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Well, you can only keep a talent like Barkov a secret for so long.
When the Panthers won the Presidents’ Trophy a few years back, leading the NHL in scoring in the process, Barkov received an appropriate amount of fanfare.
His silky smooth hands combined with the massive forward’s physical defending and overall high hockey IQ led to Barkov becoming more of a hockey household name than ever before.
Over the past several years Barkov has won the Selke Trophy twice and led Florida to multiple Stanley Cup Finals, winning the first championship in franchise history earlier this summer.
He leads by example and works incredibly hard, setting the tone on a Panthers team that prides itself on being incredibly difficult to play against.
This week, Bleacher Report ranked the 10 best captains in the NHL.
Barkov came in fourth on the list, behind only Sidney Crosby, Connor McDavid and Alex Ovechkin.
That’s some pretty impressive company to be around.
“The Panthers have missed the postseason once since Barkov was named captain, and that came in his first season with the “C,”” wrote Bleacher Report’s Joe Yerdon. “Ever since then, making the playoffs has become the standard and after back-to-back appearances in the Stanley Cup Final and a Cup victory this year, he’s established the bar at the top of the mountain.”
You can check out BR’s full list by clicking here.
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