Tkachuk Considers Surgery Before the 2025-26 Season
Florida Panthers star Matthew Tkachuk is in a crucial dilemma regarding his health. The player has not yet decided whether to undergo surgery before the start of the 2025-26 season. If surgical intervention is required, Tkachuk could miss a significant part of the season. Tkachuk, 27, revealed that he suffered a groin injury and a sports hernia while playing for the United States team in the 4 Nations Face-Off in February. This situation sidelined him for the last 25 games of the NHL regular season. Despite the injuries, Tkachuk returned for Game 1 of the Panthers’ first-round series against the Tampa Bay Lightning. During the playoffs, he proved his worth with 23 points (8 goals, 15 assists) in 23 games, including seven points in the final against Edmonton, leading the Panthers to their second consecutive Stanley Cup championship.Tkachuk indicated that the decision to have surgery is “50/50”, and that the preseason will give him the time needed to make a decision. “I still hope to get on the ice as soon as possible,” he stated. If he opts for surgery, he could miss between two and three months of action. Tkachuk’s contract and its impact on the salary cap could be placed on long-term injured reserve during his recovery. Off the ice, Tkachuk has had a standout summer. He appears on the cover of EA Sports’ NHL 26, alongside his brother Brady and his father Keith in the deluxe edition of the game. Matthew and Brady Tkachuk were among the first six players named to the U.S. men’s hockey team for the Winter Olympics in Italy next year. In addition, Matthew Tkachuk married Ellie Connell in July. All this happened after an epic, multi-day Stanley Cup celebration by the Panthers in Fort Lauderdale and Miami, with spontaneous appearances at bars, clubs, and beaches, as well as a championship parade. The Panthers’ chances of obtaining a third consecutive Stanley Cup received a boost this summer when General Manager Bill Zito managed to re-sign a trio of star veteran free agents: Sam Bennett, Aaron Ekblad, and Brad Marchand. Tkachuk expressed that he was not surprised that the three players wanted to stay with the Panthers, but he was astonished by Zito’s ability to make the money work under the salary cap. “I thought that, the way the money was tied up, you didn’t know it was possible, and somehow it was,” he said. “Everyone was taken care of very well, and Bill did a great job making sure it could happen. I think everyone was rewarded very well, and I’m very excited to have the opportunity to, hopefully, repeat it with them this year.” Tkachuk said he was confident that Ekblad would return, having been a Panther since he was selected by Florida in 2014. He was a little less sure about Bennett and especially Marchand, who had the opportunity to break the bank in free agency. “When Marchand was first traded [at the spring deadline], I would have thought we would never have the opportunity to keep everyone. But as time goes on and you have success and you know the desires and longings of the guys for the rest of their careers, you can start to connect the dots,” Tkachuk said. “People just don’t want to leave Florida when they come [here]. We have something too good going on right now, and everyone wants to be a part of it.”“We didn’t have any hope at the beginning that we would survive the first round.”
Paul Maurice, Panthers Coach
