Matthew Tkachuk takes next step toward Florida Panthers return
Matthew Tkachuk has taken the next step to his return from injury.
The Florida Panthers’ star winger, who is on long-term injured reserve while sidelined with an apparent groin injury sustained during the 4 Nations Face-Off, skated for about 45 minutes prior to Florida’s scheduled practice on Monday morning at the Baptist Health IcePlex. It’s the first time he has done on-ice work since Feb. 20 when he played in the 4 Nations championship game.
Panthers coach Paul Maurice, however, cautioned that Tkachuk is “still a ways” away from returning.
Tkachuk’s work on the ice Monday, Maurice said, was merely him getting “out there touching pucks.” He’s likely at least another week away from taking part in true conditioning drills.
“There’s no conditioning to it because he’s not there yet,” Maurice said, adding “you can do off-ice things to try to mitigate some of the conditioning losses, but he is going to have to get into some significant skates here.”
The Panthers have not given a definitive timeline on Tkachuk’s return, with the company line being that they hope he is ready to return at the start of the Stanley Cup playoffs, which begin April 19.
“That’s what we’re shooting for,” Panthers coach Paul Maurice said. “Depending on when those games get scheduled may have an impact on that.”
Tkachuk sustained the injury during the United States’ 3-1 win over Canada in the 4 Nations Face-Off on Feb. 15 — his second game of the tournament. He didn’t play the final 12:36 of that game, which secured the United States’ spot in the championship game and during which he led a run of three fights in the opening nine seconds. With the USA already locked into the title game, Tkachuk then sat out the round-robin finale against Sweden on Feb. 17 entirely.
In the championship game on Feb. 20, which Canada won 3-2 in overtime, Tkachuk played just 6:47 and finished his final shift with 3:22 left in the second period.
Tkachuk has not played for the Panthers since then.
Prior to the injury, Tkachuk was second on the Panthers in goals (22), assists (35) and points (57) while leading the team with 11 power-play goals and 23 power-play points over 52 games. He is a staple in Florida’s top-six, primarily serving as a winger on the Panthers’ second line with center Sam Bennett.
The Panthers head out for a four-game road trip that begins Tuesday against the Montreal Canadiens and continues Wednesday against the Toronto Maple Leafs, Saturday against the Ottawa Senators and then Sunday against the Detroit Red Wings. Tkachuk will travel with the team.
“It‘s huge,” Panthers forward Sam Reinhart said. “Hopefully, you can start to see the light at the end of the tunnel and get someone like that back in the lineup. It’s a positive thing. Certainly sounds like a step in the right direction if he’s out there.”
This story was originally published March 31, 2025 at 10:55 AM.
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