A new report shared by Sportsnet's Nick Kypreos states that Florida Panthers forward Matthew Tkachuk could be out of the lineup through the Christmas break.
Tkachuk will undergo corrective surgery after suffering an adductor injury and a hernia. Despite nursing those injuries, the 27-year-old scored eight goals and 23 points in 23 postseason games. It's not Tkachuk's first time battling through a major injury in the playoffs, as he dealt with a broken sternum in the 2022-23 Stanley Cup finals when the Panthers lost to the Vegas Golden Knights.
"I tore my adductor off the bone and then had some hernia thing all on the same side. I wanted to throw in the towel a bunch of times," Tkachuk said. "I gotta thank a bunch of people for getting me healthy enough. I'm sure I wasn't the easiest to deal with. My fiancee did a great job with that on days when I probably wasn't in the best mood coming to the rink. My trainers, maybe when I wasn't in the best mood, when I was in pain. I just owe them so much."
At the moment, Tkachuk is destined to land on the long-term injury reserve, which will allow the Panthers to keep their roster intact to start the season. For Tkachuk to rejoin the team either in the regular season or the playoffs, the Panthers will need to trade multiple players to be under the salary cap limit.
The odd men out are seemingly Evan Rodrigues and Jesper Boqvist, although GM Bill Zito is doing whatever he can to ensure they remain on the Panthers roster.
Losing Tkachuk for the first three months of the season is a major loss, and the impact without him can't be understated. Since his arrival in Sunrise, he's scored at a 1.20 point per game rate, which tops the team in those three seasons. The Panthers are the deepest team in the NHL and should still find success without him, but they'll be hoping his return doesn't land too far after the Christmas break.
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