Offseason Surgery Remains a Possibility for Panthers Winger Matthew Tkachuk

Before the victory parade to be held in honor of the two-time Stanley Cup Champion Florida Panthers, the team gave their exit interviews on Saturday with the media at the Amerant Bank Arena, where the team locked up the title on Tuesday night.

Star winger Matthew Tkachuk held court with the scribes and detailed his summer plans. Aside from the fact he is getting married, he said he might need surgery for the ailments that kept him out of the regular season after getting injured during the 4 Nations Face-Off tournament earlier this year.

Tkachuk struggled through the postseason playing with a torn adductor muscle, which tore all the way off the bone. He also had a sports hernia, which might require surgery to fix.

"He was a mess," Panthers coach Paul Maurice said.

Tkachuk missed the final 25 games of the regular season with his injuries. It was uncertain if he would be ready for the first-round games against the Tampa Bay Lightning. The man affectionately known as "Chucky" played in every postseason contest and averaged a point per game with eight goals and 15 assists in 23 games.

Surgery might be inevitable.

"I don't know yet," Tkachuk said. "I've gotta go through some steps here and see if I need surgery or not. It's gonna take a few weeks to determine if I need it. It is probably 50-50 right now. I don't know if it will be a normal summer or not. I hope so. I'm not gonna just jump right into surgery without talking to everybody and going through everything. I have a few weeks here where I can figure it out."

The Panthers will have a parade held in their honor on Sunday down A1A in Fort Lauderdale. The beachfront parade will culminate with the team gathering with their cup and addressing the fans near Las Olas Boulevard, by the Elbo Room, which has seen the Stanley Cup more than the Edmonton Oilers have the last two seasons.

Defenseman and free agent Aaron Ekblad said the team has been partying hard since the final horn went off Tuesday night and they have no plans to let up.

"We're not toning it down," Ekblad said. "We have just won two Stanley Cups in a row; we deserve to have a good time. We have good people in that room, so anything...if people think we are crossing the line, there's no chance."

"We're just having a good time, it's pure excitement. There's obviously a respect factor, and, you know, personally, I try to toe that line, but no, it's all fun, and you know we deserve it, for sure."