FORT LAUDERDALE — The Florida Panthers will not have superstar forward Matthew Tokachuk at least until the playoffs, announced Monday by Hockey Operations president and general manager Bill Zett.
“Matthew will be out for a long time,” Jeet said at a press conference at the Baptist Health Iceplex. “I want to get him back for the playoffs. …You have predictions, a diagnostic and rehabilitation course of action. That rehabilitation progress has not yet been determined, and how, and where.”
To deal with lower body injuries, Tkachuk has been suffering since his second match for the 4 Nations when he missed the final 12:36 of his 3-1 victory in Team USA in Canada.
After sitting down the final round robin match, Tkachuk took the ice at just 6:47 in a 3-2 overtime loss to Canada in the championship game on February 20th.
His final shift came with 3:22 left in the second term.
Tkachuk was a key player before the Panthers, scoring 57 points (22 goals, 35 assists) in 52 games this season.
On Sunday, Tkachuk was placed in the Long-Term Injury Reserve (LTIR).
LTIR players must stay either 10 games or 24 days, whichever is longer, whichever is longer.
His salary won’t count towards a Florida hat until he returns.
If they return before the playoffs, the Panthers will need to comply with the cap.
In his absence, the player knows that it will make the team’s efforts to fill the gap.
“Everyone has a little more opportunity, and you have to make the most of it,” Forward Jesper Bokvist said. “I feel like there are a few people ready. It obviously sucks out of losing such Chucky (Tkachuk) and hopefully he’ll come back to us soon.”
With 21 games remaining in the regular season, the Panthers currently rank second in the Atlantic division 37-21-3, cutting the Toronto Maple Leafs by just one point in the top spot.
Preparing to defend the Stanley Cup, the Panthers are thankfully one of several NHL teams deep enough to miss a player in Tkachuk’s caliber and push towards the playoffs.
In addition to the deep forward group of Captain Alexander Barkov’s team, the Panthers got off to a head start by bolstering the backend with the addition of Seth Jones, who was acquired by the Chicago Blackhawks on Saturday.
Five-time NHL All-Star and former round pick Jones is expected to make the Panthers’ debut against Tampa Bay Lightning at Amerant Bank Arena tonight.
“He’s not going to be on loan, that’s certainly true,” Barkov said of Jones, who has been signed throughout the 2029-30 season.
Stay tuned for the latest updates on Tkachuk’s status in the coming weeks.
