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Barkov ‘looks good’, but knee isn’t 100 percent

Florida Panthers v New Jersey Devils

NEWARK, NJ - JANUARY 11: Aleksander Barkov #16 of the Florida Panthers waits in an NHL hockey game against the New Jersey Devils at Prudential Center on January 11, 2014 in Newark, New Jersey. The Devils won 2-1. (Photo by Paul Bereswill/Getty Images)

Paul Bereswill

Aleksander Barkov’s rookie season was cut short when he sustained a knee injury while playing for Finland in the 2014 Winter Olympics.

Nearly five months later, Barkov is still focused on his recovery with the goal of being 100 percent in time for training camp, per the Miami Herald. He attended the Panthers’ development camp, but didn’t participate in the final two days.

“He has nothing to prove to me,” Panthers GM Dale Tallon said. “We brought him in just to look at him, evaluate him. He looks good.”

Barkov was taken with the second overall pick in the 2013 NHL Entry Draft. He had eight goals and 24 points in 52 games before he was shut down.

The Winter Games resulted in several noteworthy injuries and the Panthers also lost Tomas Kopecky (concussion) for the final two months of the season because of the tournament. Those losses contributed to the Panthers breaking an embarrassing NHL record. Nick Bjugstad led the team with just 38 points, which was one less than the previous all-time low for a team scoring leader at the end of an 82-game season.

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