Back in November, while the Florida Panthers were visiting Detroit in the regular season, Paul Maurice waxed poetically about what his captain Aleksander Barkov meant.

“It’s all the man’s personality,” Maurice said at the time. “He’s the most humble man I’ve ever met. And what I think he does better than anybody I’ve ever seen is he makes the 13th forward and the seventh defenceman feel like they are just as important to the team as he is … just incredibly humble, very hardworking. An unusual man, almost egoless, except he pushes himself very hard to be good.”

That description has stuck with me about Barkov. About a selfless star player that somehow elevates everyone.

So at Stanley Cup media day this year, I went to depth players on the Panthers roster, the 13th forward and seventh defenceman