Elliotte Friedman Updates Matthew Tkachuk's Severe Injury Fate

NHL analyst Elliotte Friedman is revealing just how serious the injury troubles to Matthew Tkachuk are and when he could potentially return to the Florida lineup.

The Florida Panthers continue to bask in the glow of their consecutive Stanley Cup wins, doing exactly what their divisional foe Tampa Bay Lightning did earlier in the decade.

Panthers assistant captain Matthew Tkachuk, who has proven to be one of the most consequential trade acquisitions in recent NHL history in the blockbuster deal that went down just over 3 years ago now, was revealed to have played through some astounding injuries during the 2025 postseason.

Not only did he say he tore his adductor literally off the bone, but also played through a sports hernia. He suffered the injuries while playing for the American squad in the 4 Nations Faceoff in February, and was absent from that point on until the start of the playoffs.

In his recent '32 Thoughts' podcast, analyst Elliotte Friedman said that he thinks Tkachuk will not only be unavailable for the start of the new year, but may not be available until after the Olympics in February.

Elliotte Friedman: We're gonna find out at some point here that Matthew Tkachuk will miss the start of the season; I think he'll be back in time for the Olympics; I think he's gonna miss the start of the year and a chunk of time after that - 32 Thoughts Podcast (8/3)

Tkachuk had 57 points (22G, 35A) in 52 games before the 4 Nations Faceoff.

Matthew Tkachuk revealed shocking injuries he played through

Tkachuk, who has now won consecutive Stanley Cups with the Panthers, announced that he was playing through some considerable injury trouble in the postseason.

But he credited Florida's training staff and doctors for helping him get through it and help the Panthers reach the mountaintop yet again.

I wouldn't be here without the trainers and the doctors and those people, and that's what makes this Cup more special for me is how hard it was just to be out there and to get to the point of playing. I owe those guys. This Cup is because of them for me, and I'm so lucky.

The Panthers have considerable depth in their lineup and can likely withstand the absence of Tkachuk for several months until he's healthy enough to return.