SUNRISE, Fla. — Aleksander Barkov is the new captain of the Florida Panthers.
Barkov is taking over for forward Derek MacKenzie, who held the role for the past two seasons. The 23-year-old from Finland becomes the 10th player to be designated as Florida’s captain.
The Panthers made the announcement Monday, with general manager Dale Tallon saying the decision to turn the captaincy over to Barkov was about “turning this team over to our young core.”
Barkov is entering his sixth NHL season. He is coming off the best year of his career, with 27 goals and 51 assists for 78 points in 79 games.
MacKenzie has indicated that this could be his final season as a player. The Panthers begin their 25th season on Oct. 6 at Tampa Bay.
This article was originally published by Espn.com. Read the original article here.