Panthers' Aleksander Barkov: Eyeing return after bye week

Barkov (back) practiced in a normal jersey Wednesday and could play as soon as next Thursday after the Panthers return from their bye week, Harvey Fialkov of the Sun Sentinel reports.

Analysis:

While coach Tom Rowe was a bit nebulous about when specifically Barkov will be ready to go, he did indicate that he specifically relieved the star pivot of his non-contact jersey because he sees his return as imminent. The return date for this injury just keeps getting closer and closer; it finally appears that Barkov could be back in the first half of this month.