Matthew Tkachuk injury update: Panthers suffer big blow as GM Bill Zito shares latest on star forward's availability

By Jackson Weber

Modified Mar 03, 2025 18:25 GMT

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When Matthew Tkachuk was placed on LTIR over the weekend, it was assumed that the Florida Panthers star would be sidelined for the remainder of the regular season.

That had yet to be officially said, however, on Monday, general manager Bill Zito confirmed that Tkachuk will be out long term with the hope of a return for the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The 27-year-old is dealing with a groin injury sustained while representing Team USA during a game in the 4 Nations Face-Off against Canada.

B/R Open Ice shared Zito's comments on X (formerly Twitter).

"Matthew is going to be out for an extended period of time, and we hope to get him back for the playoffs," Zito said.

Tkachuk has missed all four Panthers' games since the 4 Nations tournament with the injury. He's had another strong season, producing 57 points (22 goals, 35 assists) in 52 games on the campaign.

Those numbers could end up as his totals for the year should he not return until the postseason. Tkachuk has been extremely durable throughout his career thus far as those 52 games would be the least amount of games he has played in a season in the NHL.

Florida can add to its roster ahead of the deadline with Matthew Tkachuk on LTIR

Matthew Tkachuk heading to LTIR frees up $9.5 million in cap space for the Florida Panthers.

With Tkachuk's salary on the books, Florida had nothing to spend. They'll now have $8.705 million to play with ahead of the March 7 trade deadline.

We already saw general manager Bill Zito aggressively utilize that money by making a blockbuster trade for Seth Jones on Saturday. He sent goaltender Spencer Knight and a first-round draft pick to Chicago in return.

Sportsnet NHL insider Elliotte Friedman mentioned in his latest edition of "32 Thoughts: The Podcast" that he expects the Panthers to take another shot at something big this week. They're certainly a team to keep an eye on.

On Monday night, the Panthers continue their season without Matthew Tkachuk when they face their divisional rival Tampa Bay Lightning who are winners of eight straight games. The puck drops at 7 p.m. EST at Amerant Bank Arena.