NHL injury update: Matthew Tkachuk's postponed surgery shadows Team USA's 2026 Olympics aspirations and Florida Panthers cap plan
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Matthew Tkachuk, who has said that he fought through a torn adductor and sports hernia during the Panthers' playoff championship, has not yet had the expected surgery to correct them, raising alarm for his return for the 2025–26 NHL season and the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan.
Matthew Tkachuk's injury wait creates alarm bells for Team USA and Florida Panthers
Matthew Tkachuk's remarkable post-Stanley Cup announcement—that he played with a torn adductor muscle and a sports hernia—only served to add to the lore of the Florida Panthers' championship run.
But more than a month later, the 27-year-old winger still has not had surgery, creating anxiety throughout the hockey world.
The anticipated surgery was originally set shortly following the Panthers' Game 6 victory against the Edmonton Oilers. The procedure was most assuredly postponed, though, NHL insider Evan Renaerts says, by Matthew Tkachuk's recent wedding to Ellie Connell on July 19. With the Olympic Games scheduled for February, any prolonged recovery time means missing by mere weeks critical international preparation and participation.
Matthew Tkachuk Brings The Stanley Cup Back to St. Louis for Second Straight Year
Matthew Tkachuk played a key role in Florida's playoff run and has been a stalwart for the team. His ongoing absence may also hamper the team's start to the 2025–26 season, particularly with the Panthers already over the cap by $3.7 million. Salary cap relief of $9.5 million would be provided if he were placed on Long-Term Injured Reserve (LTIR), providing the front office with flexibility but also sparking controversy regarding salary cap morality.
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Strategic play or dangerous delay? Tough choices loom for Florida Panthers
According to NHL regulations, any player on LTIR has to miss at least 10 games or 24 calendar days. If the Florida Panthers start the season with Matthew Tkachuk missing, they might get immediate relief but would pay the cost in the long run. The organization might have to trade the likes of Evan Rodrigues or Jesper Boqvist to stay cap-compliant when Tkachuk can join them.
This has raised eyebrows among insiders and fans who believe that the Panthers might be tactically withholding the surgery to skew cap space.
The practice has drawn increasing criticism from the league, with many notable examples including past seasons involving other superstars such as Nikita Kucherov and Evander Kane.
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Some of the fans went to social media to raise concerns over the Olympics, and one of them wrote, 'Interesting to see if he still makes it to Milan then. It would be quite the story if he's not there with Brady.' Others were pessimistic, speculating a timely return just in time for the playoffs—a strategy that has sparked ethics issues in the NHL's application of LTIR loopholes.
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