FORT LAUDERDALE – Matthew Tkachuk is still on track.
Yet to suit up this season after having surgery to repair a torn adductor muscle and sports hernia in August, the superstar forward could begin his on-ice rehab in the coming weeks, according to head coach Paul Maurice.
"We're looking for him to hit the ice in the next two weeks," Maurice said of Tkachuk’s steady progress following Thursday’s morning skate at Baptist Health IcePlex.
Initially injured while playing for Team USA during the 4 Nations Face-Off in February, Tkachuk returned to action just in time to help the Panthers capture their second straight Stanley Cup. Appearing in all 23 playoff games, he finished tied for first on the team in scoring with 23 points (8G, 15A).
In 211 regular-season games with Florida, Tkachuk has logged 254 points (88G, 166A), which is the most on the team during that span.
Speaking on the debut episode of his new podcast “Wingmen” on Wednesday, Tkachuk, who co-hosts the show with his brother Brady, provided additional insight into his rehab.
“I’ve been out of the picture or a while,” Tkachuk told his brother, who captains the Ottawa Senators but is also currently sidelined by an injury. “Nobody has really seen me except for the guys at the rink and who I’m rehabbing with and all the stuff I’m doing there. It’s allowed me to keep a really good focus. I’m working harder than I’ve ever worked.”
In addition to Tkachuk, the injury-plagued Panthers, who are chasing an elusive Stanley Cup three-peat, are also missing captain Aleksander Barkov (knee), forwards Tomas Nosek (knee) and Jonah Gadjovich (upper body) and defenseman Dmitry Kulikov (shoulder).
"There is this block of healing time where they are not doing much," Maurice said. "They are moving, in the gym, sort of doing basic stuff. Then, there comes a day when the doctor says, 'Now you can go. Now you can start progressing.' How fast they get back to playing after that will be conditioning.”
Based on his initial timeline of a return sometime in December, Tkachuk should be the first of the group to rejoin the lineup.
“I really have to make sure that I’m feeling as good as I can when I come back because we’re down some bodies,” Tkachuk said. “Probably going to throw me right in the fire, so I have to be ready.”
While there’s still more checkpoints that need to be hit before No. 19 can be back on the ice for the Panthers, Tkachuk is feeling good with where he’s at right now.
“I couldn’t be happier with how I feel at the moment,” he said.
Stay tuned to FloridaPanthers.com in the coming weeks for further updates.
