The Florida Panthers have been navigating this season without their key forward, Matthew Tkachuk, as he's still progressing from offseason surgery to repair a torn adductor muscle and sports hernia. The Panthers were eyeing Tkachuk to return sometime in December, and after the latest update, it seems like that timeline could come true, according to David Dwork of The Hockey News.
“I’m hearing that Matthew Tkachuk has started skating and that he could be back in the Panthers lineup sometime next month, in time to play in the Winter Classic,” Dwork wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
Tkachuk missed the final 25 games of the season for the Panthers after getting injured, but he returned to the lineup when they started the Stanley Cup Playoffs. He played in all 23 playoff games and tied Carter Verhaeghe and Sam Reinhart with 23 points.
Head coach Paul Maurice noted last week that Tkachuk could be back as soon as mid-December.
“We're looking for him to hit the ice in the next two weeks,” Maurice said.
The Panthers have also been without Aleksander Barkov, who had knee surgery after being injured in training camp. He is expected to be out for seven to nine months, and it's uncertain if he will return this season. They also have other players listed out, such as forwards Tomas Nosek and Jonah Gadjovich, and defenseman Dmitry Kulikov.
The Panthers are currently 10-8-1, and are in sixth place in the Atlantic Division. If they can continue to stay afloat throughout December, there's a good chance that they'll be in good shape when Tkachuk returns.
