Panthers hope Matthew Tkachuk will be ready in time for playoffs

The Florida Panthers are crossing their fingers.

On Sunday, the club added Matthew Tkachuk to the long-term injured reserve, a move that came after the star power forward sustained a groin injury while competing with Team USA at the 4 Nations Face-Off.

Still, the Panthers remain hopeful that Tkachuk will be ready to return to the lineup for the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

“Matthew is going to be out for an extended period of time, and we hope to get him back for the playoffs,” Panthers general manager Bill Zito told David Dwork of The Hockey News.

A key cog in last year’s championship run, Tkachuk put up six goals and 16 assists for 22 points through 24 postseason appearances en route to the Stanley Cup. That offensive success has bled into 2024-25, where through 52 outings this season Tkachuk has posted 22 goals and 35 assists to sit second in team scoring with 57 points.

Acquired from the Calgary Flames in the 2022 offseason, Tkachuk’s first two seasons with the Panthers have been highlighted by back-to-back trips to the Stanley Cup Final. After falling short to the Vegas Golden Knights in 2023, the Panthers then won their first-ever championship last spring in a thrilling seven-game set versus the Edmonton Oilers.

Through 211 regular-season showings with the Panthers, Tkachuk has notched 88 goals and 166 assists for 254 points, underscored by a career-high 109-point finish in 2022-23. Originally chosen sixth overall by the Flames in the 2016 NHL Draft, Tkachuk has totaled 642 career contests in which he has amassed 240 goals and 396 assists for 636 points.

For the Panthers, the club sits 37-21-3 on the season and one point back of the Toronto Maple Leafs for top spot in the Atlantic Division. Winners of three straight, the Panthers will try for their fourth consecutive victory Monday when the club retakes the ice against the rival Tampa Bay Lightning, a contest that will mark the debut of defenseman Seth Jones, who was acquired from the Chicago Blackhawks in a Saturday blockbuster.