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If you just heard a sigh of relief at some point on Tuesday, there's a good chance it came from the Florida Panthers after the team gave an update on the condition of Aleksander Barkov.
The Cats captain missed all of last season with a knee injury and went down with an apparent lower-body injury to the other knee in the team's second game of the season.
And while the injury will cause him to miss an extended period of time, it's not quite as bad as many had feared.
"He’s scheduled to be out 6–8 weeks, non-surgical rehab, and that’s our best window," head coach Paul Maurice said. "Could be a little less, could be a little more, but we think 6-8 is the right rehab time."
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The injury occurred when Barkov fell awkwardly along the boards during Florida's overtime loss to the San Jose Sharks on October 1. The 31-year-old immediately headed off the ice and could be seen throwing his gloves in frustration.
It certainly looked bad — and still wasn't just a bruise — but hopefully, getting Barkov back in the lineup before Christmas and maybe even Thanksgiving would be a big break for the team.
Injuries were a huge issue for the Panthers last season, and it's been a story early in this one as well. In addition to Barkov, defenseman Aaron Ekblad is listed as day-to-day, while winger Jonah Gadjovich is on LT-IR with an upper-body injury.
Veteran forward Brad Marchand returned to action on Sunday for the first time since suffering an injury last March, and scored in an overtime loss to the Anaheim Ducks. He was expected to miss the first month of the season, according to ESPN, but returned to action much sooner.
The Panthers have one win so far this season, which came in their opener against the Carolina Hurricanes.
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