SUNRISE, Fla. — As the rest of their teams headed back to the dressing room following pregame warmups Saturday, Aleksander Barkov, Jonathan Huberdeau and MacKenzie Weegar remained on the ice.
The three were all teammates on the Florida Panthers for six seasons — Huberdeau and Barkov for nine — before the blockbuster trade of the offseason sent Huberdeau and Weegar to the Calgary Flames in exchange for All-Star winger Matthew Tkachuk.
Weegar and Huberdeau made their return to Sunrise and soaked in the final moments before focusing on the game at hand. Barkov and Huberdeau briefly chatted just outside their respective benches. Huberdeau and Weegar shot pucks at an empty net as the crowd at FLA Live Arena gave the duo an ovation. Barkov shot at a net on the other end of the ice before all three retreated and joined their teams.
