Panthers' Aleksander Barkov Had Hand Glued Shut After Stanley Cup Finals Injury

Aleksander Barkov had a cut on his hand glued shut after tearing out sutures twice during the Florida Panthers' run to the 2025 Stanley Cup, head coach Paul Maurice told reporters.

Barkov initially "split the palm of his hand" in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final against the Edmonton Oilers, Maurice said at the 6:00 mark of his postgame press conference.

"He had those sutures turn out twice 'til he just glued it together, so that had something to do with his point production," Maurice said with a smile.

The Panthers captain recorded two assists on Tuesday night in Florida to help his team clinch a second straight championship with a 5-1 victory in Game 6 against the Oilers.

His first assist came on a shot that Sam Reinhart deflected into the net to give the Panthers a three-goal lead in the second period.

Barkov then found Reinhart for the empty-net, hat-trick goal that ensured the Panthers' victory with six-and-a-half minutes left in the third.

A bandage was visible around Barkov's right hand when he took his gloves off during the Panthers' Stanley Cup celebrations.

Barkov, who was named the winner of the Selke Trophy as the league's best defensive forward earlier this month, finished the series having averaged 23.5 minutes of ice time per game as a regular matchup with Oilers captain Connor McDavid.

His defensive presence was a key part of the reason McDavid was held to zero points and a minus-4 rating in the Oilers' elimination loss.

Barkov wasn't the only key Panthers player who battled through a significant injury to lift the Cup.

Reinhart, who scored four goals in Florida's championship-clinching win, suffered a Grade 2 MCL tear during the Eastern Conference Final against the Florida Panthers, Maurice confirmed Wednesday.

Matthew Tkachuk, who put up a point per game during the Panthers' postseason run, said during the postgame broadcast he had suffered an adductor muscle that had been torn "off the bone" as well as a sports hernia on the same side.