Aleksander Barkov is glad Patrice Bergeron has left the NHL!

It was a sad day last month when legendary Boston Bruins forward Patrice Bergeron retired after 19 seasons.
A sad for most fans and the Bruins’ organization, but not necessarily for Florida Panthers’ Aleksander Barkov.

The star forward told Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman on Wednesday why he is happy that Bergeron has left the NHL, along with all of his records, six Selke Trophies, one Stanley Cup, three All-Star appearances and a better faceoff percentage than Barkov.

That means that Barkov’s faceoff percentage will go up and the Panthers’ captain couldn’t help but celebrate that when asked about Bergeron’s retirement.

“Good line from Aleksander Barkov, saying with Patrice Bergeron retired, his faceoff percentage will go up”

Barkov has put up great numbers in the face-off circle, but we all know that Bergeron is the better face-off man. But now Barkov gets his shot at stealing that spot in 2023-24.

Barkov’s career-high is 56.9 percent, which he recorded during the 2021-2022 season. Bergeron has 12 seasons above that number and finished with a percentage higher than 60 six times.

Let’s see if Barkov becomes the top face-off man this upcoming season with Bergeron only watching the game from now on.

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