Tkachuk Considers Surgery: Next Season at Risk?
Florida Panthers star Matthew Tkachuk is in a crucial dilemma as the 2025-26 season approaches. The player has not yet decided whether to undergo surgery, a decision that could keep him off the ice for a considerable period. Tkachuk, 27, revealed that he suffered a groin injury and a sports hernia while playing for Team USA in the 4 Nations Face-Off in February. Despite missing the last 25 games of the NHL regular season, he returned for Game 1 of the Panthers’ first-round series against the Tampa Bay Lightning. In the playoffs, Tkachuk 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.After the season, Tkachuk indicated that the decision to have surgery was “50/50”. The rest time could be crucial to make an informed decision. Tkachuk expressed that “I still hope to get on the ice as soon as possible”. However, if he opts for surgery, he could miss several months of action. Tkachuk’s contract and its impact on the salary cap could be placed on long-term injured reserve during his recovery. Tkachuk’s offseason has been notable. 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. In addition, Matthew and Brady Tkachuk were selected among the first six players for the United States men’s hockey team for the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy. In July, Matthew Tkachuk also married Ellie Connell. All this happened after an epic Stanley Cup celebration that lasted several days in Fort Lauderdale and Miami, with spontaneous appearances in bars, clubs, and beaches, as well as a championship parade. The Panthers’ chances of winning their third consecutive Stanley Cup received a boost this summer when general manager Bill Zito managed to re-sign three star veterans: center Sam Bennett (8 years, $64 million), defenseman Aaron Ekblad (8 years, $48 million), and winger Brad Marchand (6 years, $31.5 million). Tkachuk stated that he wasn’t surprised that the three players wanted to stay with the Panthers, but he was astonished by Zito’s ability to make the money work within the salary cap. “I thought that, because of how the money was tied up, you wouldn’t know if it would be possible, and somehow it was,” he said. “Everyone was well taken care of, and Bill did a great job making sure it happened. I think everyone was rewarded very well, and I’m very excited to have the opportunity to, hopefully, try again with them this year.” Tkachuk said he was confident 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 make big gains 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 with time, and with success, and getting to know the guys’ wants and desires 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 really good going right now, and everyone wants to be a part of it.”At the start of the postseason, we didn’t have much hope of surviving the first round.
Paul Maurice, Panthers Coach
