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Florida Panthers star Matthew Tkachuk has revealed he’s undecided about getting surgery prior to the start of the 2025-26 season, according to ESPN’s Greg Wyshynski.
Tkachuk also stated he could miss significant time if he elects to have the surgery performed. He’s still hoping he’s able to “hit the ice as soon as possible.”
“If I do get the surgery, it’ll definitely be the first two or maybe three months if that’s the case. But it’s still undecided at this point,” Tkachuk told ESPN.
Tkachuk added that it’s “50/50” as far as if he’ll elect to have the surgery performed.
Shortly after the Panthers defeated the Edmonton Oilers to win their second consecutive Stanley Cup, the Panthers forward revealed he suffered a torn adductor muscle and a sports hernia injury while playing for Team USA in the inaugural 4 Nations Face-Off in February. As a result of the injuries, Tkachuk missed the final 25 games of the regular season before making his return for Game 1 of Florida’s opening-round playoff series against the Tampa Bay Lightning.
No one would know that Tkachuk was battling several injuries by his performance throughout the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The Panthers winger ended up tying for the team lead in points (23) throughout the postseason, including three goals and four assists in the Stanley Cup Final.
Tkachuk has paid huge dividends for the Panthers since being acquired in a blockbuster trade with the Calgary Flames in the 2023 offseason. Tkachuk will leave a glaring hole in Florida’s top six if he does end up missing substantial time this upcoming season.
The Panthers will aim to become the first team since the New York Islanders in the early 1980s to win three consecutive Stanley Cups. The team certainly has a better chance to do so after general manager Bill Zito was able to re-sign center Sam Bennett (eight years, $64 million), defenseman Aaron Ekblad (eight years, $48 million) and winger Brad Marchand (six years, $31.5 million) to long-term deals prior to free agency this summer.
