Panthers’ Matthew Tkachuk to miss a week with illness
Florida Panthers coach Paul Maurice told reporters on Monday morning that forward Matthew Tkachuk is expected to miss a week due to an undisclosed illness.
Tkachuk (illness) is going to miss about a week, per Maurice.
They’re targeting Oct. 22 vs. Minnesota as his return.
— Jameson Olive (@JamesonCoop) October 14, 2024
Tkachuk missed Saturday’s game against the Buffalo Sabres with what was originally believed to be a short-term absence.
Tkachuk’s targeted return date will be next Tuesday against the Minnesota Wild, meaning he is expected to sit out meetings against Boston Bruins, Columbus Blue Jackets, Vancouver Canucks and Vegas Golden Knights over the next week.
The Panthers are also without captain Aleksander Barkov, who is out for two-to-three weeks due to a lower-body injury.
Tkachuk has two assists in two games so far this season. In 2023-24, the 26-year-old had 26 goals and 62 assists for 88 points and 88 penalty minutes in 80 regular-season games. In the playoffs, he recorded six goals and 16 assists for 22 points in 24 games, helping the Panthers capture their first Stanley Cup in franchise history.
Entering his ninth NHL season, Tkachuk has 218 goals and 363 assists for 581 points in 592 career regular-season games with the Panthers and Calgary Flames.
He hit career highs in assists (69), points (109) and penalty minutes (123) in 2022-23, his first season in Florida. He would end up scoring 11 goals and 13 assists for 24 points in 20 Stanley Cup playoff games that spring, helping the Panthers reach the Final before losing to the Golden Knights.
Tkachuk would be drafted No. 6 overall by the Flames in the 2016 NHL Entry Draft. During his lone season with the Ontario Hockey League’s London Knights, he scored 30 goals and 77 assists for 107 points in 57 regular-season games, going on to score 20 goals and 20 assists for 40 points in 18 playoff games, helping the Knights win both the 2016 OHL Championship and Memorial Cup.