FORT LAUDERDALE – The Florida Panthers will be without superstar forward Matthew Tkachuk until at least the playoffs, President of Hockey Operations and General Manager Bill Zito announced on Monday.
“Matthew’s going to be out for an extended period of time,” Zito said during a press conference at Baptist Health IcePlex. “We hope to get him back for the playoffs. … You have a projection, you have a diagnosis, and a rehab course of action. The how and where and in what manner the progress [is] of that rehab is still yet to be determined.”
Dealing with a lower-body injury, Tkachuk has been ailing since the second game of the 4 Nations Face-Off when he missed the final 12:36 of a 3-1 win for Team USA over Canada.
After having to sit out the final game of the round robin, Tkachuk took the ice for just 6:47 in a 3-2 overtime loss to Canada in the championship game on Feb. 20.
His last shift came with 3:22 left in the second period.
A key player up front for the Panthers, Tkachuk has logged 57 points (22 goals, 35 assists) in 52 games this season, including lighting the lamp in six straight games prior to his injury.
On Sunday, Tkachuk was placed on long-term injured reserve (LTIR).
A player on LTIR must stay there for either 10 games or 24 days, whichever is longer.
Until he returns, his salary does not count against Florida’s cap.
If returns before the playoffs, the Panthers will have to be cap compliant.
In his absence, players know it’s going to take a team effort to fill the void.
“Everyone gets a little more of an opportunity, and you’ve just got to make the most of it,” forward Jesper Boqvist said. “I feel like we have a couple guys that are prepared for it. It obviously sucks losing Chucky (Tkachuk) like that, and hopefully he gets back to us soon.”
With 21 games left in the regular season, the Panthers currently sit second in the Atlantic Division at 37-21-3, trailing the Toronto Maple Leafs by just one point for the top spot.
Preparing to defend their Stanley Cup, the Panthers are thankfully one of a few teams in the NHL deep enough to miss a player of Tkachuk’s caliber and still push toward the playoffs.
In addition to the team’s deep forward group led by captain Aleksander Barkov, the Panthers got a head start on bolstering their back end with the addition of Seth Jones, who was acquired from the Chicago Blackhawks in a blockbuster trade on Saturday.
A five-time NHL all-star and former first-round pick, Jones is expected to man the blue line and make his Panthers debut against the Tampa Bay Lightning at Amerant Bank Arena tonight.
"He's not going to be a rental, that's for sure,” Barkov said of Jones, who is signed through the 2029-30 season. “He's here for a long time. That's awesome. He's one of the best defensemen in the world. Playing against him is always tough. He's good at both ends of the puck. To add a guy like that is unbelievable."
Stay tuned for more updates on Tkachuk’s status in the coming weeks.
