NHL’s ‘best-kept secret’ revealed
Barkov’s All-Star selection puts spotlight on S. Florida’s top player
He arrived at 17, having never been to Florida, never lived away from home and needing two trips to the Department of Motor Vehicles offices to pass his driver’s license test. The driving part was easy. He drove a moped car in his native Finland, after all.
“Same thing here, push on the brake and gas,’’ Panthers center Aleksander Barkov said.
The language was the problem. He didn’t understand all the questions in English. He failed the first time, went home, studied up and passed the second time for his license.
And so his adjusting began.
Now, at 22, a veteran of South Florida highways and the NHL, Barkov was making his latest adjustment on Thursday to being called an All-Star for the first time. He got word on a phone call while getting a haircut. It was time. He’s been the Panthers’ top center for a few years and quiet centerpiece as well.
In his fifth season, Barkov plays hockey better than any pro South Florida athlete plays in their sport right now. It’s a telling thought, though not with as much gravitas as it once held. The Heat don’t have an All-Star. The Dolphins have one great player, defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh. The Marlins’ best players were traded.
The Panthers are led by Barkov, if anyone has caught on. It’s not just a South Florida issue that he’s the face of a faceless
franchise. It’s why in one breath Panthers coach Bob Boughner says Barkov, “has been doing it all year for us,” and in another breath how he’s, “probably the best-kept secret in the NHL.”
You don’t need to understand hockey to understand Barkov’s impact. He leads NHL forwards by playing 22 minutes, 29 seconds a game. New Jersey wing Ilya Kovalcuk is the only forward to average more ice time in a season since 2010. No center has played more in that span.
“It’s the little things that impress me more than anything,’’ Boughner said. “It’s not so much the goals and assists. It’s the way he draws the toughest assignment every night and he finds a way to win it. How good his stick is. What he’s doing in the face-off circle. Short-handed goals and shut-down roles. That’s what’s most impressive.”
During practice Wednesday, as teammates waited for a drill to start, Barkov ripped off a dozen short back-and-forth sprints. His condition is why the most ice time of his life hasn’t affected him just yet. He leads the league with four short-handed goals.
He’s fourth at winning defensive faceoffs, at 60 percent. He’s finally shooting more, too, after much prompting, and at 40 points (14 goals, 26 assists) should blow by all personal scoring marks.
This is Barkov’s team, really. Well, his and Jonathan Huberdeau and Vincent Trochek’s team. The Panthers made a statement in moving off Jaromir Jagr last spring that it was time for the kids to take over. Those three have. Others, notably defenseman Aaron Ekblad, have lagged behind.
Boughner says the next step for Barkov is, “trying to get this team in the playoffs. Once he gets in the
playoffs, there’s obviously more a spotlight, and then you’ve got to get this team winning in the playoffs.”
For now, he’s off to the All-Star Game. It comes with a catch. It’s not a vote. It’s not some acknowledged referendum on his risen star. Each team is mandated a representative. Two years ago, it was Ekblad. Last year, Trocheck.
It seemed Barkov’s turn from that view, even if it’s really his time. It’s not quite his team, either. He’s still only 22, after all.
“Since I came here, I feel I’ve been in the right spot with the right team,’’ he said. “We’ve always had good leaders, good
captains. I learned a lot from [Ed] Jovanovski, [Willie] Mitchell and [Derek] MacKenzie right now.
“I feel everyone on this team is a leader, everyone has his own role and tries to do that on the ice or off the ice. Some are louder in the locker room. Some are louder in the ice.” Is he loud in the locker room? “No, not at all,’’ he said. He’s loud on the ice. The AllStar bid underlined that much.