Tkachuk Evaluates Surgery and Future with the Panthers
Florida Panthers star Matthew Tkachuk has not yet decided whether to undergo surgery before the 2025-26 season, but acknowledges that he could miss a significant amount of time if necessary. Tkachuk, 27, revealed after the season that he suffered a groin injury and a sports hernia while playing for Team USA in the 4 Nations Face-Off in February. He missed the final 25 games of the NHL regular season but returned for Game 1 of the Panthers’ first-round series against the Tampa Bay Lightning. In the playoffs, Tkachuk accumulated 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 commented that there was a “50/50” chance that he would undergo surgery, and added that the offseason gave him enough time to make that decision. The player expressed that “I still hope to get on the ice as soon as possible.” If he decides to have surgery, he is likely to miss several months of action. “If I have surgery, it will definitely be the first two or maybe three months if that’s the case. But it’s still undecided at this moment,” said the Panthers star, whose contract and salary cap could be placed on long-term injury reserve during his recovery. This offseason has been notable for Tkachuk. He appears on the cover of EA Sports’ NHL 26 and shares the cover of the deluxe edition of the game with his brother Brady and his father Keith.We had no hope at the beginning that we would survive the first round.
Paul Maurice
Matthew and Brady Tkachuk were among the first six players named to the United States men’s ice hockey roster for the Winter Olympics in Italy next year. Matthew Tkachuk also married his fiancée Ellie Connell in July.
All this happened after another epic multi-day Stanley Cup celebration by the Panthers in Fort Lauderdale and Miami, which included spontaneous appearances at bars, clubs and beaches, as well as a championship parade. The Panthers’ chances of securing a third consecutive Stanley Cup received a boost this summer when general manager Bill Zito managed to re-sign a trio of veteran star free agents: center Sam Bennett (8 years, $64 million), defenseman Aaron Ekblad (8 years, $48 million), and winger Brad Marchand (6 years, $31.5 million). Tkachuk said he wasn’t surprised that the three players wanted to remain with the Panthers, but that he was astonished that Zito found a way to make the money work under the salary cap. “I thought that because of the way the money was tied up, you didn’t know it was going to be possible, and somehow it was,” he said. “Everyone was taken care of very well, and Bill did a great job of making sure it happened. 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 Ekblad would return, having been a Panther since Florida selected him first overall 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 deadline this spring], 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 very good going on right now, and everyone wants to be a part of it.”
