Florida Panthers winger Brady Tkachuk was forced to leave Tuesday's pre-season encounter against the Carolina Hurricanes early, but as of now, it has been deemed a minor, precautionary issue.
On Tuesday, most of the Florida Panthers veterans skated in their final pre-season game before the 2026-27 NHL regular season begins.
Brady Tkachuk was one of those players, but he was forced to miss the final 20 minutes with an injury.
As of now, there is little to no concern surrounding Tkachuk's injury.
"Minor. Just precautionary," said coach Paul Maurice. "He may well be on the ice tomorrow. We’ll see, but it’s not an injury. Just tightened up on him. It’s an exhibition."
Prior to sustaining the ailment, Tkachuk had notched a goal and an assist, his third goal of the pre-season and fifth point. The Panthers later lost to the Carolina Hurricanes in a shootout, 3-2.
Tkachuk's pre-season was eventful. In addition to the three goals and five points, he recorded nine shots on goal and fought in the first pre-season game, standing up for Aleksander Barkov.
Speaking of Barkov, Tkachuk's chemistry with the Panthers captain and Sam Reinhart looked great. The trio connected on several plays throughout the two games. Barkov finished the pre-season with two goals and four points, while Reinhart added one assist.
These are all positive signs for the Panthers. Barkov is showing his level of play as at his standard, Reinhart looks comfortable, and Tkachuk's transition has looked seamless.
While the competition the Panthers have faced isn't the standard they'll see when the regular season begins, they mostly played the Hurricanes' AHL squad; it was important to see them look good.
The hope now is that Tkachuk's undisclosed ailment is nothing serious and that he can rejoin the Panthers in practice today or in the coming days.
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