Matthew Tkachuk underwent surgery and is expected to miss the start of the 2025–26 NHL season, likely sidelined for two to three months. He sustained a torn adductor muscle and a sports hernia while playing for Team USA in the 4 Nations Face-Off in February. He missed the final 25 regular-season games but returned for Game 1 of the Panthers’ first-round playoff series. Tkachuk scored 23 points in 23 playoff games, including seven in the final, helping the Panthers win a second straight Stanley Cup. He was named to the U.S. Olympic roster for 2026. His $9.5 million cap hit and potential LTIR could ease Florida’s cap situation.
Tkachuk, 27, said earlier this month that he expected to miss "the first two or maybe three months" of the 2025-26 NHL regular season if he decided to undergo a procedure, a decision he was still debating at the time. The Panthers winger revealed after last season that he sustained a torn adductor muscle and a sports hernia injury while playing for Team USA in the 4 Nations Face-Off in February. He missed the final 25 games of the NHL regular season but returned for Game 1 of the Panthers' first-round series against the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Tkachuk had 23 points (8 goals, 15 assists) in 23 games during the playoffs, including seven points in the final against Edmonton, to lead the Panthers to their second straight Stanley Cup championship. In June, USA Hockey made Tkachuk one of the first six members of the U.S. men's team scheduled to play at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy. Tkachuk was the only member of the 4 Nations roster that wasn't scheduled to attend U.S. men's Olympic orientation camp in Michigan this week.
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