Panthers’ Tkachuk Skates: Next Return? | NHL

Tkachuk Resumes Skating, But His Return is Uncertain

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – Matthew Tkachuk is back skating, although there’s still no set date for his season debut with the Florida Panthers. Tkachuk underwent surgery in August after dealing with a sports hernia and a tear in his adductor muscle for much of the second half of last season, including the Panthers’ run to their second consecutive Stanley Cup. The player provided this information on the “Wingmen” podcast, which he co-hosts with his brother, Brady Tkachuk, of the Ottawa Senators.

“There’s still quite a bit to go, but he’s back on the ice, something that wasn’t happening two weeks ago,” said Panthers coach Paul Maurice. “So we’re taking it step by step.”

Paul Maurice, Panthers Coach

The Panthers have estimated that Tkachuk could return “around December,” a timeline that remains viable. His return would provide a significant boost to an injury-hit team, which has also lost its captain, Aleksander Barkov, after suffering a torn ACL in the first training camp practice. Tkachuk spent the first weeks of the summer in rehabilitation hoping to avoid surgery, but ultimately underwent the procedure immediately after his wedding and honeymoon in France. He skated twice last week, “the first time I’ve put on skates, really, since Game 6” of the Stanley Cup Final, in his own words, and then met with doctors to plan the next phase. “I’m excited to be back with my teammates,” Tkachuk said. “I don’t know when it will be, but I’m obviously overcoming that obstacle and I hope it’s sooner rather than later. The situation is improving a lot.” Maurice indicated that Tkachuk has to meet several important goals in his recovery. Tkachuk missed the last 25 games of the regular season last spring, but was able to play despite injuries for the Panthers, who won their second consecutive Stanley Cup. It also appears that Tkachuk could participate with USA Hockey in the Milan-Cortina Olympics in February. In 23 playoff games, he accumulated 23 points (8 goals, 15 assists), including seven points in the Stanley Cup Final against the Edmonton Oilers. The Panthers defeated the Oilers in six games. “I just have to speed up and feel good, and hopefully pick up where I left off, or even better,” Tkachuk said. “That’s the ideal plan.”