'He'll play': Paul Maurice squashes report of Matthew Tkachuk injury being season-ending
Feb 8, 2025; Sunrise, Florida, USA; Florida Panthers left wing Matthew Tkachuk (19) looks on after scoring against the Ottawa Senators during the second period at Amerant Bank Arena. (Sam Navarro-Imagn Images)Florida Panthers Head Coach had an update on Monday regarding the health status of forward Matthew Tkachuk.
It was just over a week ago when Tkachuk suffered an apparent groin injury during the 4 Nations Faceoff.
Tkachuk had been starring for Team USA, helping them reach the final against Canada before falling in overtime on Thursday at TD Garden in Boston.
After missing one preliminary game, Tkachuk suited up for the final against Canada but was only able to play 6:47 and sat out the entire third period.
That's why it came as no surprise to see Tkachuk held out of Florida's first game back from the 4 Nations break, a 2-1 loss to the Seattle Kraken on Saturday.
Also coming on Saturday was a report from TVA's Renaud Lavoie, who said that the Panthers were concerned Tkachuk's injury may be season-ending.
Speaking to the media on Monday, Maurice put that idea to bed.
"I don't have that concern," Maurice said flatly. "He'll play."
Seems simple enough.
There was still no timeline on a return, though Maurice indicated that could be coming in the short term.
"This is the day he gets seen by all the people he needs to get seen by," Maurice said. "We've got a pretty good idea where it's at, we just need to make sure that everybody looks at the pictures the same way."
It's clear that Tkachuk is dealing with something that's keeping him off the ice.
Now it's just a matter of figuring out a recovery timetable.
The way Maurice set things up was tidy, easing the long-term concerns while indicating a clearer answer may be forthcoming later this week.
"The reason that we're vague on all these before we get the report is because there's always a chance of everything, right?" Maurice explained. "There's always something unusual in one of these. I don't think it is, we're not worried about it."
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