Panthers' Matthew Tkachuk still mulling surgery decision with season two months away

Miami Herald

2 days ago

Star winger Matthew Tkachuk still hasn't decided if he's going to have surgery to remedy a pair of injuries with the Florida Panthers just under two months away from beginning the 2025-26 NHL season and their quest for a third consecutive Stanley Cup.
Tkachuk told ESPN on Friday that he's still weighing his options. However, if he does elect surgery to repair a torn adductor muscle and sports hernia, both of which he sustained during the 4 Nations Face-Off in February, Tkachuk said he would be sidelined 'the first two or maybe three months if that's the case.'
Florida opens the season on Oct. 7 against the Chicago Blackhawks. If he is out for three months, that shelves him until early January.
It's worth noting the 2026 Winter Olympics, the first in which NHL players are able to participate since 2014, take place in February. Tkachuk in June was one of the first six players named to Team USA, along with brother Brady Tkachuk, Auston Matthews, Jack Eichel, Quinn Hughes and Charlie McAvoy.
Despite the injuries forcing Tkachuk to miss the final 25 games of the 2024-25 regular season, he returned for the Stanley Cup playoffs and tied for the team lead with 23 points (eight goals, 15 assists) throughout the run that ended with Florida being repeat Stanley Cup champions.
Tkachuk's offseason afterward has been a whirlwind. After the weeklong team celebration in South Florida following the championship, Tkachuk got married in St. Louis, had his day with the Stanley Cup, went on his honeymoon and was named the cover athlete for NHL 26.
What comes next for Tkachuk — surgery or otherwise — will have an impact on the Panthers' immediate future.
Florida is currently $3.725 million over the salary cap and needs to become cap compliant by the start of the season.
One avenue in doing so would be putting Tkachuk on long-term injured reserve to start the season. By doing so, his $9.5 million cap hit would not count toward Florida's salary cap while he is sidelined, which would have to be for a minimum of 10 games or 24 days (whichever is longer).
If Tkachuk doesn't land on LTIR, Florida would need to shed salary elsewhere, most likely in the form of trades. The players on the roster without no-trade clauses with cap hits of more than $1 million next season are forwards Anton Lundell ($5 million), Evan Rodrigues ($3 million), Eetu Luostainen ($3 million) and Jesper Boqvist ($1.5 million) plus defensemen Niko Mikkola ($2.5 million) and Dmitry Kulikov ($1.15 million).