Latest On Matthew Tkachuk
Florida Panthers star Matthew Tkachuk is continuing to work his way back from an adductor injury sustained during the 4-Nations Face-Off tournament in February. The injury ended Tkachuk’s regular season early, though he played through it for all 23 games of Florida’s run to the Stanley Cup. Now, Tkachuk is paying the price of a long-term injury, and faces the often uncomfortable question of whether to undergo surgery to address the ailment. Tkachuk told ESPN’s Greg Wyshynski that surgery would require him to miss the first two-or-three months of the regular season.
That’s a long time for Florida to be without one of their top scorers. Tkachuk finished the year ranked third on the team in points (57) even despite missing the last 30 games of the regular season. Luckily, the St. Louis-native has shown a consistent knack for being able to play through, and above, painful injuries. He tied for Florida’s scoring lead during the postseason, with eight goals and 23 points in as many games. It was an incredibly impressive performance, given Tkachuk entered the postseason having not played a game for three months.
That ability to bounce back to form could make a delayed start to the season a bit easier to stomach. Wyshynski emphasized previous reports that one of Tkachuk’s main goals for next season is to play for Team USA at the 2026 Winter Olympics. A few-month absence would put him back on the ice just weeks ahead of the NHL’s midseason break, and could provide a chance for 10-to-15 games worth of conditioning. That may be a short window for the average player, but Tkachuk’s ability to quickly jump back onto the scoresheet should only be emphasized on the international stage.
He scored three points in three games at the 4-Nations tournament, his first time representing America at a Men’s National tournament. Prior to that, Tkachuk managed 11 points in seven World Junior Championship games in 2016, 12 points in seven games at the World U18 Championship in 2015, and seven points in six games at the World U-17 Hockey Championship in 2014.
Around his spot appearances with Team USA, Tkachuk has managed a star-studded NHL career. He earned his first 100-point campaign in the 2021-22 season – netting 104 points in 82 games with the Calgary Flames – and then one-upped it with 109 points in 79 games with the Florida Panthers in the next season. Tkachuk was also rarely injured, averaging 74 games and 72 points per season before the 2024-25 campaign. Last year’s shortened season brought his career averages down to 71 points in 71 games each season.
That scoring precedent will make Tkachuk a must-include for the Olympic roster, should he be healthy in time for the tournament. He shared that he was “50/50” on undergoing surgery when the season came to a close, and has spent the off-season taking the time to ensure he’s making the right decision. If he does go under the knife, Florida could be due for a big boost of cap space through the first-half of the season.
Snapshots: Robertson, Tkachuk, Draft
Despite signing a one-year deal with the Toronto Maple Leafs just yesterday, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman spoke on his 32 Thoughts podcast about the possibility of forward Nicholas Robertson being traded and noted a link between Robertson and Pittsburgh Penguins’ GM Kyle Dubas.
This represents the second consecutive summer that the forward has been linked to Pittsburgh, and Friedman’s report comes just a day after Robertson and the Maple Leafs avoided arbitration with a one-year, $1.825MM contract.
“I’ve had a couple people ask me about the possibility of Nick Robertson in Pittsburgh. They got the arbitration settled on Saturday, but the Maple Leafs need to clear some bodies there. They have a lot of them,” he said. “I think that the Maple Leafs have work to do. I don’t know what their timeline is, but they need to do some things before puck drop.”
To Friedman’s point, the Maple Leafs currently have 14 forwards on one-way deals for next season. Robertson, 23, posted 15 goals and 23 points in a bottom-six role last season for Toronto. He added two points in three playoff games. He also averaged a career-high 12:00 per game of playing time.
Elsewhere in the Eastern Conference:
- Friedman also provided an injury update on Florida Panthers forward Matthew Tkachuk, who revealed after winning the Stanley Cup that he had been playing through a torn adductor muscle throughout the postseason. Friedman shared his belief that Tkachuk will miss a big chunk of the regular season, but sees a path for him to be ready for the Olympics next winter. “I think (the Olympics) is a huge deal for him. But I do think he’ll miss the start of the year and a chunk of time after that,” he said. Tkachuk, and his brother, Brady Tkachuk, played a huge role in the 4 Nations Face-Off and are expected to be a focal point of the U.S team at the Olympics if healthy.
- Despite fan (and possibly league) dissatisfaction with the decentralized draft format, teams voted to continue with it in 2026. And Friedman suggests that the decision was largely driven by teams’ desire to protect their internal information. While the vote was closer this year (20-12 in favor of keeping it decentralized), Friedman isn’t convinced that additional votes will soon push for a return to the traditional draft format. “I really thought, because of how (Gary) Bettman was opening ripping the GMs about this, I thought it was going to change,” he said. “It’s obvious to me that these teams that voted to keep it the way it is really value the secrecy.”
Atlantic Notes: Giroux, Geekie, Tkachuk
Earlier this weekend, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported in his latest 32 Thoughts column that the Senators and Claude Giroux were battling over the bonus structure of his next deal. However, Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch adds that at this point, the base salary is still being worked on as well, with the belief that Giroux’s camp is looking for a salary around teammate David Perron’s $4MM; Ottawa is coming in below that. As long as the 37-year-old signs a one-year contract, Giroux is eligible for performance incentives, including games played, points, and team playoff success. While his days of being a top-line option are long gone, Giroux still projects as one of the better options available in free agency coming off a 50-point season.
Elsewhere in the Atlantic:
- Bruins forward Morgan Geekie told Kevin Paul Dupont of the Boston Globe that discussions on a new contract have been “pretty preliminary” so far. The 26-year-old was non-tendered the last time he was a pending restricted free agent, signing a two-year, $4MM deal with Boston that proved to be quite a bargain. Geekie had 39 points in 2023-24 and then followed that up with a 33-goal, 57-point effort this season. That could push his price tag past the $5MM mark on a multi-year deal this time around. He’s arbitration-eligible but with hearings generally running from July 20 to August 4, it’s possible that Boston’s plan is to simply let him file for arbitration late next week and then start to have more substantive discussions on a new agreement at that time.
- After playing through a torn adductor muscle for the entire postseason, Panthers winger Matthew Tkachuk told reporters including Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald that he is 50-50 in terms of whether he’ll need surgery or not. He will take the next few weeks to let the injury heal on its own and then see if he’ll need to go under the knife. If surgery is needed, it could put Tkachuk’s availability for the start of next season in question. Despite the injury, he still managed to produce a point per game in Florida’s 23 playoff contests.
Panthers’ Matthew Tkachuk Avoids Suspension
Florida Panthers forward Matthew Tkachuk will not face any supplemental discipline for his late-game hit on Tampa Bay Lightning forward Jake Guentzel in game three. Despite Tkachuk receiving a five-minute major for interference on the hit, the NHL has determined no additional punishment is justified. As Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman notes, the reasons could be related to several factors, including there being no head contact and that Guentzel did touch the puck prior to the hit.
The hit comes one game after Tampa Bay forward Brandon Hagel received a one-game suspension for leveling Aleksander Barkov. Similar to Tkachuk, Hagel received a five-minute major for interference. As Friedman notes, the force of the hit Tkachuk delivered on Guentzel may not be considered as impactful as the one Hagel delivered to Barkov. And as David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period adds, Barkov never played the puck prior to being hit. It can also be noted that Barkov exited game two and did not return, although he did suit up in game three.
Tkachuk’s hit drew the ire of multiple Lightning players, including captain Victor Hedman. He told reporters following the game, including Eduardo A. Encina of the Tampa Bay Times, that the timing of the hit was also questionable, as the Lightning were in the process of scoring an empty net goal to make the score 5-1. Hedman added that the team can’t control what actions are or are not worthy of suspension.
With Hagel set to return for game four on Monday, it will be interesting to see if tensions remain high. Either way, Tkachuk remaining available for game four and beyond is clearly welcomed news for the defending champs. Tkachuk was a key factor in the team’s run last season, registering 22 points in 24 playoff games, and he is off to a fast start in three games so far this year, securing three goals and an assist thus far. Florida currently leads the series 2-1.
Meanwhile, Guentzel, who appears fine and ready to go for game four, continues to build upon his impressive playoff history. As Benjamin Pierce points out on the team’s website, the 30-year-old is tied with Edmonton forward Leon Draisaitl for the seventh-highest goals-per-game average in NHL playoff history.
Panthers Activate Matthew Tkachuk From LTIR
April 22: As expected, Tkachuk is off LTIR ahead of tonight’s Game 1. He’s officially a game-time decision.
April 17: The Panthers will have all their injured players in the lineup for Game 1 of their first-round series against the Lightning, head coach Paul Maurice told reporters today (via George Richards of Florida Hockey Now). As such, star winger Matthew Tkachuk will come off long-term injured reserve in the next few days before Florida begins their Stanley Cup defense on Sunday or Monday.
Tkachuk, 27, will return to the Panthers’ lineup after a two-month absence. He missed the final 25 regular-season games due to a groin injury he sustained while playing for the United States at the 4 Nations Face-Off.
The news is far from unexpected. Maurice said earlier this week that Tkachuk would return to practice with the team after skating on his own. He wouldn’t commit to Tkachuk being available for Game 1 but said his return would be early in the first round in a worst-case scenario. Now, it looks like he’ll be available as soon as the Cats hit the ice for the fourth Battle of Florida in the last five years. Maurice adds that Tkachuk won’t skate during Florida’s practice tomorrow but will do so Monday, indicating that’s when Game 1 will take place (via Colby Guy of The Palm Beach Post).
Florida underwhelmed without Tkachuk down the stretch, posting a 13-11-1 record and a plus-two goal differential coming out of the 4 Nations break. That was enough to keep them in the playoff race, but not enough to keep them atop the Atlantic Division, where they were tracking to finish for a good portion of the season. Instead, they were lapped by the Maple Leafs and Lightning and lost home-ice advantage in their matchup with the latter. Of course, Tkachuk wasn’t the only player missing for an extended stretch. Trade deadline pickup Brad Marchand and defenseman Dmitry Kulikov each missed more than four games at a time, and top right-shot defenseman Aaron Ekblad hasn’t been available since early March while serving a 20-game suspension for consuming a performance-enhancing substance. Of course, that discipline will keep him out for the first two games of the first round.
Before the injury, Tkachuk clinched his fourth consecutive season above a point per game. The 6’2″, 202-lb pot-stirrer posted 22-35–57 in 52 regular-season contests, leading the Panthers in points (1.10) and shot attempts (6.08) per game. Only one Florida skater shot at a higher rate than Tkachuk’s 14.1% – that was Sam Reinhart at 18.3%.
A minus-three rating indicates a poor defensive outing for Tkachuk at face value, but that’s not the case. He continued to boast elite two-way impacts, logging a 59.9 CF% and 58.6 xGF% at even strength. The former ranked second on the team behind Aleksander Barkov.
Of course, the two-time All-Star has been instrumental in Florida’s back-to-back Stanley Cup Final appearances. He’s scored 17-29–46 with a +12 rating in 44 postseason games as a Panther, ranking fourth in the NHL in playoff scoring over the last two seasons. They’ll look for a repeat performance, presumably in a familiar second-line role at even strength with Sam Bennett and ex-rival Marchand on his opposite wing, to help them get over the first-round hump against a highly formidable Tampa squad in their quest for a repeat.
Photo courtesy of Sam Navarro-Imagn Images.
Atlantic Notes: Tkachuk, Demidov, Ratzlaff
Panthers star Matthew Tkachuk is “not that far off” from a return, head coach Paul Maurice said on WQAM’s The Joe Rose Show Monday morning (via Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald). “This week is a really important week for him,” Maurice continued. “If he’s not [ready for Game 1], he’s very, very close. We’re not missing this by two weeks.” Tkachuk hasn’t played since sustaining a groin injury at the 4 Nations Face-Off and, as alluded to yesterday, will return to practice this week after skating on his own a few times recently. Having a fully healthy forward lineup out of the gate in their first-round series will be important, with top right-shot defenseman Aaron Ekblad unavailable for two games while serving the end of his 20-game suspension for violating the terms of the NHL/NHLPA Performance Enhancing Substances Program. Florida has rested many of its top forwards in recent games as a result and will continue to do so tonight against the Rangers.
Other notable items from the Atlantic Division:
- Top Canadiens prospect Ivan Demidov will make his NHL debut tonight against the Blackhawks with a playoff berth on the line, head coach Martin St. Louis confirmed this morning (via Eric Engels of Sportsnet). The winger will skate on a line with Joel Armia and Alex Newhook and see reps on the second power-play unit, Engels relays. The 19-year-old signed his entry-level contract last week after being released early from his commitment with SKA St. Petersburg of the Kontinental Hockey League. Barring any surprises, the 2024 No. 5 overall pick should be in Montreal’s playoff lineup – assuming they clinch – after leading SKA with 19-30–49 in 65 games this season and setting the KHL record for points in a season by a U-20 player.
- The Sabres announced they reassigned goalie prospect Scott Ratzlaff to AHL Rochester to finish the season. Ratzlaff, 20, was also rostered for Rochester after his major junior season ended in 2023-24 but didn’t make his professional debut. It’s unclear if that will change this time around. The 2023 fifth-round pick capped off his fourth and final Western Hockey League season with a 3.16 GAA, .910 SV%, one shutout, and a 23-19-4 record in 49 games for the Seattle Thunderbirds. He’s now posted a save percentage north of .900 in four consecutive WHL seasons, a significant feat in the scoring-friendly league.
Atlantic Notes: Panthers, Tkachuk, Power
While the defending champion Florida Panthers are still missing some key players from their lineup, they did provide a few positive updates on this front. Per George Richards of Florida Hockey Now, forward Sam Bennett will return to the lineup tomorrow against the Rangers, while forward Matthew Tkachuk is expected to join full practice starting this week.
Just last week, head coach Paul Maurice noted Tkachuk was still “weeks away” from a return from injured reserve after sustaining an injury in the 4 Nations Face-Off back in February. Tkachuk has been spotted on the ice a few times since, either skating on his own or joining the team for morning skate as he did in Montreal last week. In 52 games on the season, Tkachuk has registered 22 goals and 57 points to go along with 84 hits. Now in his third season with the Panthers, he has produced 265 points in 211 career regular season games with Florida, and his return will certainly be a key to their back-to-back cup aspirations.
Although Maurice recently noted Bennett would not return during the regular season, that decision has appeared to reverse course, with the coach stating Saturday that Bennett is, “At a point where he feels great.” It’s welcomed news for the team, as his return allows him to shake off some rust during the final two games of the regular season. In 74 games on the season, Bennett has scored a career-high 50 points.
Elsewhere in the Atlantic:
- Senators star Brady Tkachuk remains out with an upper-body injury, per Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Citizen. Garrioch adds that Tkachuk skated on Saturday, but that there’s a likelihood the power forward doesn’t play until the playoffs. Tkachuk has missed the last eight games since sustaining an upper-body injury in Ottawa’s overtime loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins on March 30. He was hit late in the second period from defender Ryan Graves that drew a penalty, and Tkachuk did not return to the game. In 71 games, he has put up 29 goals and 55 points.
- Buffalo Sabres defenseman Owen Power sustained a lower-body injury during last night’s loss to the Panthers, and he is not expected to play in tonight’s game against the Tampa Bay Lightning, reports Lance Lysowski of the Buffalo News. He ended last night’s game with just 15 shifts and 13:27 of total ice time. On the season, Power has put up a career-high 40 points. At just 22, Power has put 111 points in 242 career NHL games. He still has six years remaining on his eight-year, 8.35MM contract he signed in October 2023.
Florida Panthers’ Injury Updates: Tkachuk, Kulikov, Barkov, Sturm
As the Florida Panthers gear up for a repeat run at the Stanley Cup, head coach Paul Maurice provide injury updates today on several key players, per team reporter Jameson Olive. Maurice noted that Matthew Tkachuk is still “a ways away” from returning from injured reserve after sustaining an injury in the 4 Nations Face-Off back in February. The team remains hopeful Tkachuk will be available for the playoffs. In 52 games on the season, Tkachuk has registered 22 goals and 57 points to go along with 84 hits. Now in his third full season with the Panthers, he has produced 265 points in 211 career regular season games with Florida, but was never more valuable than last season’s run to the Stanley Cup, where he produced 22 points in 24 games. The fan favorite’s return to the lineup will be a key to their back-to-back cup aspirations.
Maurice said the return of defender Dmitry Kulikov could come as early as next week. The 6’1, 212 Kulikov has been out since March 18 with an upper-body injury. The team announced on March 31 that he would be traveling with the club on their four-game road trip but would not appear in any of those contests. Kulikov has registered four goals, 13 points and a plus-13 rating on the season. Maurice added that veteran center Aleksander Barkov would have a similar return timeline as Kulikov. Barkov was injured in Tuesday night’s contest against the Montreal Canadiens and was subsequently kept out against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Wednesday. While he was also ruled out of this weekend’s games, based on Maurice’s update today, his injury does not appear to be serious or something that is expected to linger. Barkov has registered 19 goals and 67 points in 64 games on the season. By lighting the lamp one more time this season, Barkov would secure his 10th career 20-plus goal season. And just like Tkachuk, Barkov scored 22 points during last season’s playoffs.
Finally, Maurice also discussed center Nico Sturm‘s expected return from an upper-body injury, noting that Sturm could return as early as the start of next week. Sturm, who was traded by the San Jose Sharks to the Panthers in March, has registered 14 points in 58 games on the season. He sustained his injury Tuesday against Montreal.
Panthers Reassign Chris Driedger, Place Matthew Tkachuk On LTIR
March 6: Driedger is back down to the minors today, according to the AHL’s transactions log. He backed up Sergei Bobrovsky for just one game before Florida traded for Vítek Vaněček to serve as their new No. 2.
March 2: The Florida Panthers have recalled goaltender Chris Driedger from the minor leagues. He will fill the Panthers’ backup goalie role after the squad dealt Spencer Knight to the Chicago Blackhawks on Friday. To clear cap space for the move, Florida has also placed star Matthew Tkachuk on long-term injured reserve with a lower-body injury, per PuckPedia.
Tkachuk sustained his injury in the second game of Team USA’s 4-Nations Face-Off tournament. It is believed to be a groin injury, though specifics haven’t been revealed. Tkachuk sat out of Team USA’s final round-robin game then made an effort to appear in the championship game against Team Canada, but only played 6:47 of the overtime loss. He has missed four games since Florida returned from the break. He was getting second opinions on his injury as recent as last week, but will now need to miss at least a month – per ESPN’s Emily Kaplan.
Florida has won three of their four games back from break – but Tkachuk’s absence still leaves a glaring hole on the top line. He has continued to dominate across the board for the Panthers, with 22 goals, 57 points, 54 penalty minutes, and 84 hits in 54 games. He ranks second on the team in goals and points, behind Sam Reinhart in both categories.
The Panthers have promoted Mackie Samoskevich and Evan Rodrigues to hardier roles in Tkachuk’s absence. Rookie winger Samoskevich has found his stride as of late, with seven points in his last 11 games. That burst has brought him to 19 points in 52 games this season – a number that could soar with expanded minutes. Rodrigues had continued his consistent two-way impact on the other side, with 27 points in 61 games putting him on pace to just miss the 39 point mark he’s posted in each of the last two seasons.
The promotions continue through the offense and into the net. Driedger signed a one-year deal with Florida this summer and has spent the entire year in the minor leagues. He narrowly leads the Charlotte Checkers with 20 games played, one more than fellow pro veteran Ken Appleby. Driedger has posted the worst stat line of the two, with a .878 save percentage and 10-6-4 record.
Despite that, it was hard to imagine Florida would turn towards anyone else to fill their backup spot. Driedger has 67 games of NHL experience, with the bulk coming between 2020 and 2022 in tenures with Florida and Seattle. He has a stout .917 SV% and 31-24-5 record on his career. Florida will hope he can rediscover those numbers quickly after a down year in the minor leagues.
Panthers Hope To Get Matthew Tkachuk Back For The Playoffs
The Florida Panthers are hopeful that they will get star forward Matthew Tkachuk back into the lineup for the playoffs (as per George Richards of NHL.com). Panthers’ general manager spoke Monday saying that Tkachuk would be out for “an extended period of time” but didn’t mention any concrete dates for a potential return to action.
The 27-year-old suffered a lower-body injury during the 4 Nations Face-Off and missed the United States’ third round robin game against Sweden and skated for just 6:47 in the final against Canada. Tkachuk has not skated since the end of that tournament.
The Panthers placed Tkachuk on long-term injured reserve yesterday and can bank that cap space under the salary cap, which could open the door for more moves even though Florida just picked up defenseman Seth Jones over the weekend. The Panthers will likely be busy this week as they look to add to their lineup in hopes of defending their Stanley Cup title. Cap space is unlikely to be an issue for Florida to make moves at the deadline, however, finding assets to trade could be a problem. The Panthers do not have a single draft pick in the first three rounds of this year’s NHL Entry Draft and have just a second-round pick in the first three rounds of next year’s draft. Their prospect situation is even more dire as the Panthers were recently ranked dead last in the NHL in prospect pool rankings by Scott Wheeler of The Athletic.
It’s hard to imagine the team going deep without Tkachuk, who has been their heart and soul since coming over from Calgary in July 2022. Tkachuk has posted 22 goals and 35 assists in 52 games this season and has helped lead the Panthers to a 37-21-3 record which is good enough for second in the Atlantic Division. Tkachuk has been instrumental in getting Florida to the Stanley Cup Finals in back-to-back seasons, posting 17 goals and 29 assists in 44 playoff games since joining the Panthers.