Matthew Tkachuk's Injury Could Push Florida Panthers to Make Decision

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Rexwell Villas | Last updated Jul 22, 2025 7:31 PM ET

The work never stops for the Florida Panthers even after they successfully repeated as NHL Stanley Cup champions.

Although it's the offseason, Florida's front office has items to deal with. For one, the team's payroll is still above the salary cap by $3.75 million, according to Puck Pedia. That means the Panthers will have to find a way to shed at least that amount to get under the cap.

One way the Panthers could do it involves a potentially big decision on star forward Matthew Tkachuk, who carries a cap hit of $9.5 million.

"If Tkachuk were to miss the beginning of the season and be out for a while, the Panthers would be able to get under the cap by putting his contract on LTIR," wrote Sportsnet's Nick Kypreos, who floated the idea while discussing Florida's salary cap landscape.

A player placed on the long-term injured list will allow the team to go over the salary cap.

Tkachuk dealt with injuries in the 2024-25 NHL season, including a groin injury that he sustained during his stint with the United States team in the 4 Nations Face-Off. His health issues continued in the Stanley Cup Playoff, but Tkachuk braved through it all, helping the Panthers hoist the Stanley Cup for the second year in a row.

Against the Edmonton Oilers in the 2025 Stanley Cup Final, Tkachuk found the back of the net three times and added seven assists through six games.

Tkachuk represents the second-biggest cap hit on the Panthers' payroll, with Aleksander Barkov's $10 million annual average value topping all of them. Meanwhile, Sam Reinhart and Sam Bennett have $8.625 million and $8 million cap hits, respectively.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: