Panthers’ Barkov given Key to the City of Boca Raton amid recovery from knee injury

Florida Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov received a Key to the City of Boca Raton from its mayor. Boca Raton Mayor Andy Thomson bestowed the honor to the 31-year-old hockey pro on Thursday afternoon. The ceremony took place after Barkov made an appearance at a local ice skating rink. Barkov has lived in Boca Raton since he joined the Panthers in 2013 and is very involved in the community. He is out between six and eight weeks with a knee injury and will not play in the Panthers home opener against the Minnesota Wild on Saturday. Barkov is expected to play again sometime in November.