Matthew Tkachuk: Offseason Surgery is ‘50-50’

SUNRISE — Florida Panthers star Matthew Tkachuk said he will take a few weeks to decide whether the injuries which cost him the final 25 games of the regular season will require surgery.

Tuesday night, Tkachuk made public what his injuries were.

“I know I tore my adductor [muscle] right off the bone,” Tkachuk said after Tuesday’s 5-1 win in Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final. “I did not think I was going to be able to play.’’

Tkachuk also sustained a sports hernia on the same side, explaining the flak jacket he was seen wearing around.

If Tkachuk needs surgery on either injury — or, perhaps both — he would likely miss all of training camp and the start of the following season.

“I’ve got to go through some steps here and then see if I need surgery or not,’’ Tkachuk said at Florida’s exit day at the arena on Saturday. 

“It’s going to take a few weeks to determine if I need it. It’s probably 50-50, right now. I don’t know if it’ll be a normal summer or not. I hope so. I’m not just going to jump right into surgery without talking to everybody and going through everything. I have a few weeks here where I can figure it out.”

Tkachuk confirmed to FHN on Tuesday that he traveled to Europe following his ‘lower body’ injury sustained at the 4 Nations Face-Off in February.

“I went to so many places, like five different cities,’’ Tkachuk said on Tuesday. “The doctors and trainers here were unbelievable. But I went to a bunch of places, and it got me to the point of playing.”

And the pain?

“It was [freaking] brutal,’’ Tkachuk said.

Saturday, Tkachuk said he was going to enjoy the team celebrations before making any further decisions.

He said he plans to bring the Stanley Cup back home to St. Louis and do many of the things he did with it last summer.

“I don’t really think I’m going to change much with how I’m celebrating,’’ Tkachuk said. “I’m really excited for my day with the cup in St Louis. I don’t know when it is yet, but I’m already looking to do a lot of the same things I did with the Children’s Hospital and bring it to the police and fire station, and then having a party for my friends and family.

“I think probably will definitely savor more moments just because of how much harder this year was for myself, personally, with what happened. So this year was really rewarding for for me, and it was a grind. So I’m going to enjoy this one and just take a step back when this is all done — the parade and everything — and just be really proud of how it all went down.”

If Tkachuk were to miss time to start the season, the Panthers could potentially place him back on LTIR and use his $9.5 million cap hit to fill out what should be a very tight roster.

Florida has $19 million under the cap and are trying to keep three high-profile free agents in Sam Bennett, Brad Marchand, and Aaron Ekblad all while filling out the rest of their roster.

Sasha Barkov, for one, hopes it all works out.

“It would be amazing,’’ Barkov said. “I really do hope that everyone’s staying. This is a special group. Every single guy brought a lot to the team. On and off the ice, this is an amazing group. Really, really hope that everyone’s coming back. So hopefully, yes.”

2025 STANLEY CUP CHAMPIONS

FLORIDA PANTHERS

UP NEXT

• 2025 Stanley Cup Championship Parade/Rally: Sunday, Fort Lauderdale Beach; noon
• 2025 NHL Draft: June 27-28, Los Angeles (Panthers have six picks in Rounds 4-7)
• Start of NHL Free Agency: July 1
• Panthers Development Camp, Fort Lauderdale IcePlex: Early July
• Panthers Rookie Camp, Fort Lauderdale IcePlex: Early September
• Prospect Showcase hosted by Tampa Bay Lightning: Early September
• Training Camp: Mid-September
• Exhibition Games: Late September
• Opening Night: Oct 7-9 (opponent, time, date TBA)