Tkachuk (groin) has resumed skating, Jameson Olive of the Panthers' official site reports Wednesday.
Tkachuk's timeline to return is still somewhere between December and January, but he is progressing on an on-and-off schedule. The 27-year-old had 22 goals, 57 points, 54 PIM and 84 hits across 52 regular-season outings in 2024-25. Tkachuk should serve in a top-six capacity when he's healthy.
Tkachuk (groin) was placed on non-roster injured reserve Tuesday.
Tkachuk isn't expected to return to the lineup until sometime in December, so this move is simply procedural. While the star winger works his way back to full strength, Brad Marchand, who penned a six-year, $31.5 million contract in the offseason, will work in a top-six role. Considering Tkachuk played through a torn hip adductor and sports hernia during the 2025 postseason, it might take him some time to get back up to full speed once he's back in the lineup.
Panthers' Matthew Tkachuk: Might return in December
Rotowire
Tkachuk (groin) is expected to be out until "December-ish," general manager Bill Zito told David Dwork of The Hockey News on Wednesday.
A previous timetable suggested that Tkachuk might be out until January, but this update from Zito suggests the 27-year-old forward should be back earlier. Tkachuk had 22 goals, 57 points, 54 PIM and 84 hits in 52 regular-season appearances with Florida in 2024-25. He played through a torn hip adductor and sports hernia during the postseason and underwent surgery in August.
Panthers' Matthew Tkachuk: Expected to miss start of campaign
Rotowire
Tkachuk (groin) is expected to be unavailable for the start of the 2024-25 campaign after undergoing surgery in August, David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period reports.
Pagnotta believes Tkachuk might be on the shelf until January. If that ends up being the case, then Tkachuk would miss the first 39 games of the regular season. Tkachuk was a key member of the Panthers' 2025 Stanley Cup championship, recording eight goals, 23 points, 33 PIM and 46 hits in 23 playoff outings, and he did so despite playing with a torn adductor muscle. It seems that he'll need some time to recover from that injury before he can go back to serving in a top-six capacity for the Panthers.
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