Major injury report on Matthew Tkachuk from NHL insider Elliotte Friedman

UPDATE: NHL insider Elliotte Friedman reports today that Florida Panthers superstar Matthew Tkachuk is expected to miss the start 0f the 2025-26 NHL season while he recovers from hip and adductor surgery.

From Friedman's 32 Thoughts podcast:

"We're gonna find out at some point here that Matthew Tkachuk will miss the start of the season; I think he'll be back in time for the Olympics; I think he's gonna miss the start of the year and a chunk of time after that." - Elliotte Friedman

Friedman's Sportsnet colleague Nick Kypreos reports that Tkachuk is likely out of action until the Christmas break

Read below for our earlier report, published last week by Hockey Feed staff writer Chris Gosselin.

Earlier this month, Nick Kypreos exposed how Matthew Tkachuk may be forced to go under the knife in the coming weeks, and his absence could stretch until the Christmas break, reporting that the Florida Panthers’ star forward might need surgery to address a lingering injury. Kypreos explained that Tkachuk could require corrective surgery, which would potentially sideline him until the holiday break.

But perhaps he could return sooner if he just underwent surgery sooner rather than later. That’s what some fans are calling out on social media after many pictures of Tkachuk have been posted. The forward recently got married to his long-time partner Ellie and then spend his special day with the Stanley Cup, partying with teammates, friends and family.

The NHLPA has celebrated Tkachuk on social media and almost immediately the star forward got under fire, with fans wondering why he wasn’t taking the offseason to undergo the surgical procedure and return to action as soon as possible.

The surgery is needed due to a torn adductor and a sports hernia that he seemingly played through in the Stanley Cup run. Right after the Panthers’ Stanley Cup run, Tkachuk revealed he had been playing with a completely torn adductor muscle, ripped off the bone, along with a sports hernia on the same side. It had all started right before the 4-nations Face-Off and only got worse when he aggravated his status playing for Team USA.

Despite those injuries, Tkachuk played in all 23 of Florida’s playoff games, finishing as the team’s top scorer with 23 points, tied with Sam Reinhart and Carter Verhaeghe. An impressive feat considering the state of his health, that even head coach Paul Maurice called a “mess.”

Some fans even compared Tkachuk to Evander Kane for what he did last season when he put off the surgery that would allow him to return in the regular season, when he was at the time with the Edmonton Oilers.

This could mean that Tkachuk will miss a significant stretch and could be placed on Long Term Injured Reserve, allowing the Panthers to have more room in dealing with salary cap issues after several big time extensions this summer.

I can understand how Tkachuk wants to enjoy his summer as a newlywed and his second Stanley Cup championship, but fans are hoping to see him back in action as soon as possible, and clearly, the delay of his surgery is not going down well with the Panthers’ fanbase.