The Florida Panthers are headed to the 2025 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs, but the reigning league champions remain without star forward Matthew Tkachuk on the ice. The 27-year-old Tkachuk has not seen action since playing for the United States in the championship game of the 4 Nations Face-Off way back in February, as he continues to deal with a lower-body injury.

The Panthers have already finished their schedule in the 2025 NHL regular season, which means the soonest Tkachuk can return to action will be in the playoffs, particularly in the first round, where Florida will be squaring off against the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Tkachuk recently shared where he's at the moment in terms of his injury recovery and level of activity, as his status continues to remain up in the air amid the looming postseason.

“I think I’d get in trouble if I said,” Tkachuk said when asked about when he could return to action during an appearance on Wednesday on the Up and Adams Show” with Kay Adams (h/t NHL.com). “I will say it’s been very good (the) last probably few days on the ice. I’ve really only been on the ice for a couple of days with, like, legit skates, so I’m just trying to peak sometime around Game 1. So, [I’m] looking forward to it.”

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Largely because of his injury, Tkachuk only managed to see action in 52 games this season, missing the final 25 Florida outings. Overall this season, he scored 22 goals and recorded 35 assists. Despite missing a total of 30 games, including the final 25 of the season, Tkachuk still ended up third overall on the team with 57 points. Sam Reinhart led the Panthers with 81 points while Aleksander Barkov was second with 71.

“It’s been crushing me the last little bit,” Tkachuk added, expressing how hard it is for him to see his team out on the ice while he recovers. “I’ve been wanting to get out there so bad. I think the first couple of games after that 4 Nations, you really want to be out there, but it’s probably good to try to get some rest and get recovered and everything.

In the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs, Tkachuk scored six goals and racked up 16 assists in 24 games.