Injury bug strikes NHL stars early in 2024-25 season

The first full week of NHL action in the 2024-25 season is not even complete yet and several star players have suffered serious injuries.

On Saturday, it was revealed the defending Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers are losing their captain, Aleksander Barkov, for two-to-three weeks due to a lower-body injury.

Barkov went crashing into the boards during the third period of Florida's 3-1 loss to the Ottawa Senators on Thursday, noticeably not putting weight on his right leg as he was helped off the ice and to the locker room.

League insider Elliotte Friedman reported Barkov did not suffer a fracture on the play, which looked rough on replay.

Macklin Celebrini, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 NHL Draft, was placed on injured reserve by the San Jose Sharks on Saturday with a lower-body injury.

It's unclear how he sustained his injury, but some speculate a preseason crash into the boards could be the origin of his discomfort.

Celebrini notably missed Friday's team skate just a day after making his league debut and will now miss at least the next seven days as he recovers.

Both Barkov and Celebrini's injury-related absences come after the Los Angeles Kings announced star defenseman Drew Doughty would head to long term injured reserve after suffering a fractured ankle in a September preseason game, requiring surgery.

Three star players now gone for a significant amount of time to start the season. That's certainly not what fans, nor the NHL, wanted to see so early on.