Observations:

February 2014 – Barkov hurt his knee during the Olympics in a preliminary round game against Norway, and is now listed as “out indefinitely”. Head coach Peter Horachek said he thinks it will be at least a few weeks but indefinitely just means there is no timetable for his return. Barkov had 24 points in 54 regular season games before the Olympic break. Barkov went on a hot streak in January, right before the selection process but since then he registered just two points in 11 games from January 9th- February 7th. Even if he is back before the season ends, he is unlikely to significantly help your fantasy squad. Depending on the number of IR spots available in your league, it may be best to stash him there until next year. Nathan Kanter

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January 2014 – Barkov has been named to the Finnish Olympic roster for Sochi. He picked a good time to pick up his game, as he had 12 points in the 12 games leading up to the Olympic roster announcement. Barkov is not surprisingly the youngest player on the team. This recent streak brings his season total to 22 points in 44 games, good enough to be in a four-way tie for 7th of all rookies, and just seven points back of 1st. Barkov’s success has led to team success, as the Panthers are a very respectable 10-5-1 in their last 16 games. Nathan Kanter

December 2013 – Barkov’s (and Florida’s) struggles continue. He is on an eight-game pointless streak and has three points in his last 21 games; simply horrendous. This was not expected coming into the season, as Barkov was hoping to replicate Huberdeau’s calder performance from last season. Huberdeau himself only has three points in his last 10 games, so he is clearly struggling as well. Now would be a good time to buy low on Barkov in keeper leagues. Nathan Kanter

November 2013 – Barkov continues to struggle mightily as his point totals have “improved” from seven points in 14 games to eight points in 21 games. He has three points in his last 16 games. He still isn’t getting enough rubber on net as he only has 25 shots through a quarter of the season. The fact that Brian Campbell leads the team in scoring is an indication of just how dry the forwards have gone, all season long. Nathan Kanter

Novemeber 2013 – Barkov has gone cold after starting the season with five points in five games. Since then, he has just two points in his last nine. He has not been able to get pucks on net, with just 10 shots on goal in those nine games. His ice-time however has not really wavered. Regardless, he needs to pick up the slack, as do many Panthers including Jonathan Huberdeau. Nathan Kanter

October 2013 – Barkov is doing well so far this season with five points in six games. Although he hasn’t recorded points in consecutive games yet this year, he is receiving quality minutes including almost three minutes of powerplay time per game and over 17 minutes the past 2 games. He surely isn’t going anywhere and barring an injury will be in contention for the Calder so use him and just hope the plus-minus isn’t too horrible (currently at 0). Nathan Kanter

October 2013 – Barkov, as expected, has made the opening night roster for the Panthers. At 18 years and 32 days, he’s the youngest Finn to make an NHL team. The latest is that he will be playing with Huberdeau and Boyes on the top line. Previously, he had been slated to center the second line with Boyes and Versteeg but either way he will be getting top-six minutes so he certainly has the potential to have a great rookie campaign. Calder potential. Nathan Kanter

July 2013 – Barkov, selected (somewhat surprisingly) with the 2nd overall pick in the 2013 entry draft, has signed his three-year entry-level deal with the Panthers. Unfortunately, he is still recovering from shoulder surgery, so was not able to take part in prospects camp that ran from July 8-12 (other than individual skating drills), but it appears GM Dale Tallon has no doubt in his mind that Barkov can play in the NHL this upcoming fall, and more importantly, that he wants to. At 6-foot-3, 209 pounds, Barkov has all the tools to succeed, even right away, though do not forget that the kid is not even 18 yet, and missing prospects camp doesn’t really help his progression either. Nathan Kanter

December 2012 – Barkov has continued his steady play and now has produced 28 points in 31 games. He has been featured in some highlight reel plays too. Barkov is projected to centre Finland’s top line in upcoming World Juniors. Miika Arponen

October 2012 – Aleksander “Sasha” Barkov has been touted as one of the top prospects entering the 2013 entry draft. Very untypical for Finnish prospects, Barkov is big and strong and uses his size very well. He does not have any significant weaknesses but if you had to pick one it would be his skating. His style has been compared a lot to Pavel Datsyuk. He keeps his head calm in every situation and can be used in shorthanded situations too. Barkov has started the 2012/13 season on fire scoring seven goals and five assists in eight games. He is considered to be the best Finnish prospect since Teemu Selänne and some think even better than Mikael Granlund. Miika Arponen

Fantasy Outlook: A

Superstar potential, top three pick in 2013 entry draft.

Footage:

All Barkov goals from 2011/12 SM-liiga season as 16-year-old.

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Buy the latest Fantasy Prospects Report here.

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