Zito: Panthers 'hope' to get Tkachuk back for playoffs
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Florida Panthers star forward Matthew Tkachuk appears set to miss the remainder of the regular season, general manager Bill Zito said Monday.
"Matthew's going to be out for an extended period of time," Zito said. "We hope to get him back for the playoffs."
The American forward has been dealing with a lower-body injury since the finale of the 4 Nations Face-Off last month and has missed all four games for the Panthers since NHL play resumed.
Tkachuk has tallied 22 goals and 35 assists in 52 games for Florida this season. The 27-year-old had 26 goals and 88 points in 80 games last season, adding six goals and 22 points in 24 playoff games en route to winning the Stanley Cup.
The Panthers placed Tkachuk on long-term injured reserve Sunday, opening up his $9.5 million in cap space.
Zito already made a big splash over the weekend, but kept the door open for another move with the conditions of the deal.
Florida acquired defenceman Seth Jones and a 2026 fourth-round pick from the Chicago Blackhawks on Saturday night in exchange for goaltender Spencer Knight and a conditional first-round pick. The selection will be in the 2026 draft, unless the Panthers deal that pick in which case it will slide to 2027.
After dealing their backup netminder in Knight over the weekend, the Panthers dipped into Tkachuk's cap space Sunday, in recalling goaltender Chris Driedger from the AHL, leaving them with $8.7 million, according to PuckPedia.
While cap space is not likely to be a problem for general manager Bill Zito, assets may be as he looks to load up. The Panthers are without a pick in the first three rounds of this year's draft and have only a second-rounder in the first three rounds in 2026, unless they elect to move their first-rounder to a team and kick their 2027 top pick to Chicago.
The Panthers continue to fight for first place in the Atlantic this season, trailing the Toronto Maple Leafs by one point entering play Monday.