Panthers Star Forward to Miss Start of Season

The Florida Panthers are the reigning back-to-back Stanley Cup champions but will likely be starting the 2025-26 season shorthanded. According to Elliotte Friedman on the 32 Thoughts Podcast, Panthers star forward Matthew Tkachuk will not be healthy by the start of the new campaign.

Tkachuk was banged up all season long between the Panthers and representing Team USA at the 4 Nations Face-Off. After defeating the Edmonton Oilers for the second straight year in the Stanley Cup Final, Tkachuk outlined his ailments.

According to Tkachuk, he “tore his adductor off the bone,” as well as dealt with a hernia issue. Tkachuk wanted to halt playing, but knew how important it was to stay on the ice helping his team.

Tkachuk used the offseason as a time to heal, but it’s probably going to be a while before he suits up with his team again.

“I think we’re going to find out at some point here that Matthew Tkachuk will miss the start of the season,” Friedman said. “I think he’ll be back in time for the Olympics, obviously that’s a huge deal for him… I think he’s going to miss the start of the year and a chunk of time after that.”

The Winter Olympics in Italy don’t kick off until February of 2026, so if that’s the latest Tkachuk is returning, the Panthers will be without a key piece of their lineup for a majority of the season. Friedman says there isn’t a clear timeline, but it will at least be past the start of the season.

“I don’t know what the timeline is going to be,” Friedman said. “But it’s going to be something like that.”

Injuries held Tkachuk to just 52 regular season games in 2024-25, but he put up 57 points (22G-35A) as one of the Panthers’ most productive players. That pace didn’t slow down in the postseason as he put up 23 points (8G-15A) in 23 games.

The Panthers have a solid chance of becoming the third team to win the Stanley Cup in three consecutive seasons, but they’ll need a healthy Tkachuk in order to pull it off.