Start of 2025-26 NHL season in jeopardy for Matthew Tkachuk.

One of the National Hockey League's biggest names may be forced to sit out the start of the 2025-26 NHL regular season.

Florida Panthers' star forward Matthew Tkachuk has confirmed that the first several months of the 2025-26 season are now in jeopardy with a big decision regarding how to deal with the torn adductor muscle and sports hernia he suffered back in February at the center of it all. Tkachuk recently spoke to ESPN's Greg Wyshynski and admitted that he still has not made a decision on whether or not he will undergo surgery to repair the damage, while admitting that surgery would cost him several months of the season.

"If I do get the surgery, it'll definitely be the first two or maybe three months if that's the case.," said Tkachuk as per ESPN. "But it's still undecided at this point."

At the conclusion of the season Tkachuk had indicated that he was still "50/50" regarding whether or not he would undergo the surgical procedure, with the star forward intending to use the several weeks of time off in the summer to properly evaluate the big decision ahead of him. Unfortunately despite the time that has passed Tkachuk has yet to make a decision and that could mean even more time off to start the season should he be forced to go the surgical route.

In the event that Tkachuk does miss several months of the season he knows that his team will be in good hands, especially after such a successful summer from Florida Panthers general manager Bill Zito. Although most believed it would be impossible for Zito to hold his Stanley Cup winning roster together he managed to pull it off in the end, something that Tkachuk admits did not come as a surprise.

"When Marchand first got traded [at the deadline this spring], I would've thought there was never a chance that we were going to be able to keep everybody," admitted Tkachuk. "But as time goes on and you have success and you get to know guys' wants and desires for the rest of their career, you can start connecting the dots," Tkachuk said. "People just don't want to leave Florida when they come [here]. We have too good of a thing going right now, and everybody wants to be a part of it."