A decision has yet to be made regarding Matthew Tkachuk and potential offseason surgery. Tkachuk recently spoke to ESPN’s Greg Wyshynski [https://www.espn.com/nhl/story/_/id/45927329/matthew-tkachuk-miss-2-3-months-surgery] about several topics ahead of the NHL 26 cover reveal, and during the chat, the issue of going under the knife sometime this summer found its way into the conversation. After the postseason, when Tkachuk revealed that he’d been playing through a torn hip abductor and a hernia, he said that he was 50-50 on whether or not to have surgery. Since then, Tkachuk has had his day with the Stanley Cup, gotten married and enjoyed some traveling. Surgery? Tkachuk told Wyshynski that the decision on having any procedure had yet to be made. He also added that if he does have surgery, he would expect to miss 2-3 months of the regular season. Recently, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/florida-panthers/latest-news/report-evan-rodrigues-won-t-be-traded-considered-a-really-important-player-by-panthers] that Tkachuk was expected to miss the start of the season and return in time for the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy, which would sync up with Tkachuk’s timeline if he were to have the surgery. If there is one thing we know about the Panthers, it’s that they are fine utilizing time during the regular season for players to get as healthy as possible for the games that really count: the playoffs. Florida famously rested many of their key players down the stretch last season, despite the team seemingly fighting for positioning at the top of the Atlantic Division. Did it matter that the Panthers fell to third and lost any home ice advantage they would’ve had during a potential Stanley Cup run? Nope. Florida Head Coach Paul Maurice and General Manager Bill Zito agree that it’s better to have a healthier team playing on the road than a banged-up team on home ice. The numbers back that up, as under Maurice, Florida has gone 8-1 in playoff series that they start on the road. We’ll see how things play out with Tkachuk in the coming weeks, as a decision on surgery is likely to come sometime in the foreseeable future. TEST STORIES FROM THE HOCKEY NEWS - FLORIDA Panthers players Aaron Ekblad, Carter Verhaeghe make appearance on Good Morning America [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/florida-panthers/ES6KIfta6FQfW6ugJEoA/comment/mbxr7zSbRChOq88vXiHK] Stanley Cup returns to Finland for hometown visit with Panthers defenseman Niko Mikkola [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/florida-panthers/BVDMIlzgZBUNnvIrTwUG/comment/NBphL09wsP4Iu793N0ZV] Report: Evan Rodrigues won't be traded, considered a 'really important player' by Panthers [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/florida-panthers/latest-news/report-evan-rodrigues-won-t-be-traded-considered-a-really-important-player-by-panthers] Panthers' Matthew Tkachuk Joined By Brother And Father On Deluxe Edition Of EA Sports NHL 26 [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/florida-panthers/latest-news/panthers-matthew-tkachuk-joined-by-brother-and-father-on-deluxe-edition-of-ea-sports-nhl-26] Florida Panthers forward Jesper Boqvist brings Stanley Cup to hometown in Sweden [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/florida-panthers/latest-news/florida-panthers-forward-jesper-boqvist-brings-stanley-cup-to-hometown-in-sweden] Photo caption: Jun 12, 2025; Sunrise, Florida, USA; Florida Panthers forward Matthew Tkachuk (19) celebrates scoring during the first period against the Edmonton Oilers in game four of the 2025 Stanley Cup Final at Amerant Bank Arena. (Jim Rassol-Imagn Images)
