NHL: Ottawa Senators at Florida Panthers - Source: Imagn — Is Matthew Tkachuk injured? Panthers star hints at his Round 1 playoff availability (Imagn)

Is Matthew Tkachuk injured? Panthers star drops hint on his Round 1 playoff availability

Modified Apr 16, 2025 18:22 GMT

Matthew Tkachuk has been injured since the 4 Nations Face-Off. He played several games for Team USA before leaving the finale, but has not played a regular-season game since then. With the playoffs ahead, his status for the defending champs is the biggest story.

Tkachuk has long said he hopes to be back for the playoffs. Those are right around the corner with the regular season ending for all teams either today or tomorrow. Is Tkachuk going to be back soon?

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Tkachuk said to Kay Adams on the "Up & Adams" Show:

“It’s been crushing me the last little bit. I’ve been wanting to get out there so bad. I think the first couple games after that 4 Nations, you really want to be out there, but it’s probably good to try to get some rest and get recovered and everything."

He said he's been "itching so badly" to get back on the ice, and he can't wait for "whenever that day is." He hopes it's very soon, perhaps Game 1 of the Stanley Cup playoffs soon.

His coach believes he's coming back sooner rather than later. He's up in the air, but even if he misses the first playoff game for the Florida Panthers, Paul Maurice is confident he won't be out much longer.

He said via NHL:

“This week is a really important week for him. He’s not that far off. If he’s not (ready for Game 1), he’s very, very close. We’re not missing this by two weeks.”

The Panthers are expected to take on the Tampa Bay Lightning, their division rival who finished slightly ahead of them in the Atlantic Division, in round one.

Matthew Tkachuk remains coy with exact date of return

Will Matthew Tkachuk play the first playoff game? That's a key question that everyone has, including his opponents. For now, he's being coy and avoiding setting any sort of return date.

Matthew Tkachuk is hurt right now (Imagn)

He said via NHL:

“I think I’d get in trouble if I said (when I'll be back). I will say it’s been very good (the) last, probably, few days on the ice. I’ve really only been on the ice for a couple days with, like, legit skates, so I’m just trying to peak sometime around Game 1. So, (I’m) looking forward to it.”

Tkachuk has been progressing well the last few days and has been able to get on the ice.

About the author

Zachary is a journalist covering NFL, Professional Golf, esports, and Major League Baseball at Sportskeeda. He has a degree in writing/editing from Southern Adventist University (USA), and in his spare time, he likes to play games such as Minecraft, Pokémon and Fortnite, or watch sports.

Ever since he was a youth football wide receiver, Zachary has been an avid NFL fan. He loves the Carolina Panthers, with Cam Newton being his all-time favorite player (with respect to the close second, Steve Smith). If you ever meet Zachary, prepare to hear all about how underrated Newton was and how he single-handedly dragged the Panthers to Super Bowl 50.

Zachary is also a big fan of top golfers like Tiger Woods, Wyndham Clark, and Scottie Scheffler. He enjoys watching them and hopes that Woods can return to form soon and win again.

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