Wasted opportunities
The irony was not lost on Bob Boughner.
While talking about what’s different about Aleksander Barkov’s play this year, the Florida Panthers head coach immediately mentioned the 22-year-old’s minutes. Barkov, who is averaging three more minutes per game than he was last year, has been on the ice more than any other forward in the National Hockey League so far this season.
At the same time, the added exposure hasn’t exactly increased Barkov’s popularity.
With 37 points in 40 games heading into Tuesday night’s game, the Panthers centre is on pace to having a career-best season. Aside from leading all forwards in ice time (22:31), he has also scored more short-handed goals (4) and has a plus-3 rating for a team that is minus-19 on the season.
And yet, outside of Florida, he might be the least known of the NHL’s top-35 scorers. Even inside the Sunshine State, where Barkov has spent the past five years, he gets far less recognition than Nikita Kucherov, Steven Stamkos and pretty much anyone else on the Tampa Bay Lightning roster.
The latter is a by-product of playing for a team that has the fourthworst attendance in the NHL (Tampa Bay is ranked seventh). But the reason why Barkov, who Boughner said is as dominant a two-way centre as Anze Kopitar, isn’t actually as big of a star as Kopitar is probably due to his lack of playoff success — or lack of participation.
While Kopitar has won two Stanley Cups, Barkov has played in fewer playoff games (6) than Kopitar has playoff rounds (10).
“I think there’s definitely a sense out there that he’s definitely underrated,” said Boughner said of Barkov, who has 13 goals and 37 points in 40 games. “Obviously, it’s not a traditional hockey market where we are. Barky sort of gets lost in that a little. I think that the better we do as a team and the further we go in the playoffs … ”
Boughner didn’t need to complete his thought. It’s not a secret that the playoffs make the man. It’s why Mark Messier is considered the greatest captain to ever play the game and why Jonathan Toews (three Stanley Cups) was included in the last year’s NHL’s top-100 and Dale Hawerchuk (one final appearance) wasn’t.
For a star player — and there are a lot of them in the NHL — the playoffs are what defines their legacy.
When Ray Shero was the general manager of the Pittsburgh Penguins, he used to say it was an honour — but also a great responsibility — in having Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin on the team, because he was entrusted with their careers. It was more than selling tickets. He didn’t want a player wasting away his prime years playing for a non-playoff team.
Looking around the league this season, there’s a lot of that going on.
While New Jersey’s Taylor Hall is on track to appearing in his first post season and Nathan Mac Kin non, who is second in league scoring, is leading the Colorado Avalanche to an unlikely wild card berth, there’s plenty of star talent spinning their wheels on teams that are failing them.
Connor McDavid, last season’s Art Ross Trophy winner who is in the top-10 in scoring, and Montreal’s Carey Price, who is arguably the best goalie in the world, are on pace to missing their second playoff appearance in three years. Erik Karlsson, who came within a goal of reaching the Cup final, will not play a post-season game for the third time in five years.
And then there is Barkov,
Like MacKinnon, who was selected one spot above him in the 2013 draft, Barkov has played in just one playoff round in four years. Based on where the Panthers currently sit in the crowded Eastern Conference standings — 13th place, seven points back of the Penguins for the final wild card spot — don’t expect that to change anytime soon.
“You want to win games and you want to get into the playoffs obviously,” said Barkov. “In my career, I’m still young but you want to get into the playoffs and play there because that’s the most fun you can have and compete for something in this league.”
Barkov’s only playoff experience was in 2016, when the team won its division but then was upset in six games to the New York Islanders. Still, he called it “the best time in my hockey life.” The arena was packed, the games were tense and the fans — the same ones that hadn’t been showing up in the regular season — showered the ice in plastic rats in celebration.
“We got the penalty one time because they were throwing them in the game. But that was fun,” said Barkov. “I can’t imagine what was going on in the second and the third (rounds) and the final. That’s where you want to be.”
It’s worth noting that Kopitar also missed the playoffs in five of his first six seasons. Coincidentally, he didn’t become a Selke Trophy finalist until after he won a championship — something that Barkov is probably well aware of.
“I want to win. That’s all I care about,” he said. “I don’t care about the recognition. Of course it’s nice when someone talks about you, but the most important thing for me is team success. If the whole team respects you, that’s the biggest thing you can have.”
If the team misses the playoffs again, that’s all he’ll get.