Barkov Caps Injury Season By Leading Finland To Gold

Aleksander Barkov spent the season on the shelf, but he still found a way to be the guy in the biggest game. The Panthers star helped lead Finland to World Championship gold, which is the kind of ending that changes the tone of an otherwise frustrating year. Around the league, teams notice when a leader comes back from injury and still looks like the same driver he was before the setback. For Florida, that is the encouraging part - the injury is part of the story, but it is not the whole story.