Source: Matthew Tkachuk to miss start of Panthers’ season

• Greg WyshynskiAug 24, 2025, 03:26 PM ET

  Close

  Greg Wyshynski is ESPN’s senior NHL writer.

Florida Panthers star forward Matthew Tkachuk underwent surgery this month and is expected to miss the start of the regular season, an NHL source told ESPN, confirming a report.

Tkachuk, 27, said earlier this month that he expected to miss “the first two or maybe three months” of the 2025-26 regular season if he decided to undergo a procedure, a decision he was still debating at the time.

The winger revealed after last season that he sustained a torn adductor muscle and a sports hernia injury while playing for Team USA in the 4 Nations Face-Off in February. He missed the final 25 games of the NHL regular season but returned for Game 1 of the Panthers’ first-round playoff series against the Tampa Bay Lightning. Tkachuk had 23 points (8 goals, 15 assists) in 23 games during the playoffs, including seven points in the Final against Edmonton, to lead the Panthers to their second straight Stanley Cup championship.

Editor’s Picks

2 Related

In June, USA Hockey made Tkachuk one of the first six members of the U.S. men’s team scheduled to play at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy. Tkachuk was the only member of the 4 Nations roster who wasn’t scheduled to attend U.S. men’s Olympic orientation camp in Michigan this week.

Tkachuk is entering his 10th NHL season and his fourth with the Panthers. He had 57 points (22 goals and 35 assists) in 52 games last season. His contract carries a salary cap hit of $9.5 million. If Tkachuk is placed on long-term injured reserve, it would give Florida much-needed cap relief. PuckPedia has the Panthers $4.5 million over the cap ahead of next month’s training camp.

NHL Network first reported news of Tkachuk’s surgery.