Panthers place Barkov on injured reserve

Florida Panthers top center Aleksander Barkov was placed on injured reserve Sunday with an upper-body injury.

Analysis:

A report from earlier in the week suggested Barkov could return as soon as Monday, but his placement on IR almost certainly refutes that. With the time already missed, the 20-year-old can be activated whenever healthy, but assuming he misses Monday's contest as expected, his next chance to return would come Thursday. However, the team should activate him from injured reserve before that happens. The Panthers recalled Greg McKegg to take his place on the active roster, but will certainly lose out on some offensive firepower until Barkov returns.