If anything, Vincent Trocheck sets a high bar.
Following Wednesday's 3-2 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs, the Florida Panthers forward commented on the injury to fellow forward Aleksander Barkov, who left in the second period with a lower-body injury.
Barkov did not return to the game.
The Panthers announced that Barkov will be "out a few days" with the ailment, a loss Trocheck likened to losing Sidney Crosby, according to Harvey Fialkov of the Sun-Sentinel.
"If (Barkov) was anywhere else, if he was in Toronto or any big city where hockey is the focal point, you would be seeing a lot more of him," Trocheck told George Richards of the Miami Herald. "He is the glue to this team. When he is not in the lineup, it's an enormous chunk missing."
Crosby, of course, sits tied for first in league-wide scoring, holding down 26 goals and 16 assists through 31 games.
As for Barkov, while a valuable pivot, his offensive production has dipped this season after a promising campaign a year ago. Barkov has tallied 27 points through 36 games this season, a downgrade from the 0.89 points per game rate he reached in 2015-16.
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