Matthew Tkachuk will miss the beginning of the season with a lower-body damage and is probably going out till December for the Florida Panthers, basic supervisor Invoice Zito mentioned Wednesday.
“Don’t maintain me to that,” Zito mentioned. “My web medical diploma.”
The 27-year-old and two-time Stanley Cup winner was restricted to 52 regular-season video games final season and had 57 factors (22 targets, 35 assists). He sustained a torn adductor muscle and a sports activities hernia damage on the identical facet whereas taking part in for the US on the 4 Nations Face-Off in February.
Invoice Guerin, basic supervisor of Group USA for the Olympic Winter Video games Milano Cortina 2026, mentioned they’re “planning and anticipating” to have Tkachuk for the event this February, the primary time NHL gamers will take part within the winter video games because the 2014 Sochi Olympics.
“Planning and anticipating (to have him),” Guerin mentioned at the US Males’s Olympic Orientation Camp on Aug. 27. “I imply, that’s simply what I’ve to do. And if one thing modifications, then we’ll change it, however he’s on and he’s going to be on till he can’t.”
Tkachuk was not one of many 44 gamers to attend the camp on the Saint John’s Resort and Resort in Plymouth, Michigan. He and his brother, Ottawa Senators captain Brady Tkachuk, have been among the many first six gamers named to the U.S. preliminary roster June 16, with facilities Jack Eichel (Vegas Golden Knights) and Auston Matthews (Toronto Maple Leafs) and defensemen Quinn Hughes (Vancouver Canucks) and Charlie McAvoy (Boston Bruins).
“He known as me and simply type of instructed me what was occurring,” Guerin mentioned. “It wouldn’t be nice for him get on a aircraft and fly proper now. He didn’t should be right here. He was upbeat. He’s all the time upbeat.”
The Tkachuk brothers turned the face of U.S. hockey throughout the 4 Nations Face-Off final February, every getting right into a struggle within the opening seconds of a preliminary spherical win in opposition to Canada. Matthew sustained an damage within the event and was solely in a position to play 4 shifts in a 3-2 additional time loss to Canada within the championship sport, however he stayed on the bench the whole time, cheering on his countrymen.
“I feel he represents, in loads of methods, the id of the group and what we try to turn out to be as a bunch,” U.S. coach Mike Sullivan mentioned. “He’s a fierce competitor. He has unbelievable look after his teammates.
“We actually missed him within the 4 Nations ultimate.”
Tkachuk missed the ultimate 9 weeks of the common season and returned for the beginning of the Stanley Cup Playoffs on April 22. He performed all 23 postseason video games and tied forwards Sam Reinhart and Carter Verhaeghe for the group lead in factors with 23 (eight targets, 15 assists).
After serving to the Panthers win their second straight Stanley Cup title, Tkachuk mentioned his adductor muscle was torn from the bone.
“I wouldn’t be right here with out the trainers and the docs and people individuals, and that’s what makes this Cup extra particular for me is how onerous it was simply to be on the market and to get to the purpose of taking part in,” Tkachuk said June 18.
“I owe these guys. This Cup is due to them for me, and I’m so fortunate.”
Tkachuk scored what would show to be the Cup-winning aim when he gave the Panthers a 2-0 lead with 47 seconds left within the first interval in opposition to the Edmonton Oilers in Sport 6 of the Stanley Cup Remaining. He mentioned he wasn’t positive whether or not he can be prepared for the beginning of the playoffs even a couple of days earlier than they started.
“He was a large number,” Florida coach Paul Maurice mentioned on the time. “That’s the medical time period. He was a large number.
“Matthew’s performed with some accidents. We weren’t hopeful at the beginning that he would survive the primary spherical. Simply didn’t assume he might do it, however what he does so nicely is he’s so good. He managed himself across the ice and across the sport that he might nonetheless produce, however he wasn’t taking hits, and he wasn’t giving hits. He was in open ice.
“Then he simply type of slowly constructed that and slowly obtained a bit extra … the nearer we obtained towards the top of the Remaining, it didn’t matter. Tears it off the bone once more, positive, come again in January. Simply would assist the group win. And his final 4 video games for me have been the 4 greatest video games he’s performed for the Florida Panthers.”
Chosen by the Calgary Flames with the No. 6 decide within the 2016 NHL Draft, Tkachuk has 636 factors (240 targets, 396 assists) in 642 regular-season video games with the Flames and Panthers, and 84 factors (32 targets, 52 assists) in 94 playoff video games.
He was acquired by Florida with a conditional fourth-round decide within the 2025 NHL Draft in a commerce with Calgary on July 22, 2022, for forwards Jonathan Huberdeau and Cole Schwindt, defenseman MacKenzie Weegar and a conditional first-round decide within the 2025 NHL Draft.
Zito additionally mentioned Wednesday that Tomas Nosek has a “long-term damage” and is out indefinitely. The 33-year-old ahead had 9 factors (one aim, eight assists) in 59 regular-season video games and three assists in 16 playoff video games final season.
NHL.com Editor-in-Chief Invoice Value contributed to this report
