Something feels off around the Florida Panthers these days. Training camp hasn’t carried the usual swagger that comes with being back-to-back Stanley Cup champions. The talk around the rink isn’t about repeating. It’s about who’s missing and how long the team can stay afloat without them.
The biggest absence, as it turns out, is Matthew Tkachuk’s.
Can the Panthers Stay Hot Without Matthew Tkachuk?
Florida’s emotional heartbeat and one of the fiercest competitors in hockey will miss the first few months of the new season. He underwent surgery to repair a torn adductor muscle and a sports hernia, injuries that trace back to the 4 Nations Face-Off last February.
General manager Bill Zito didn’t sugarcoat things when asked for a timeline. “Don’t hold me to that,” he said, estimating a possible return sometime in December. The smirk on his face didn’t hide what everyone in the building already knew, as the Panthers will be without their firestarter for a while.
Florida Panthers Vs. Chicago Blackhawks Injury Report
Tkachuk isn’t the only one sidelined. Team captain Aleksander Barkov, who had knee surgery, is reportedly expected to miss the entire regular season. Forward Anton Lundell also sat out recent practices with an upper-body concern.
That’s three key pieces, two of them the team’s backbone, out as Florida prepares to open its season against Chicago on Tuesday night. Tkachuk and Barkov drive almost everything the Panthers do, from possession to leadership to the overall tone of a game. Without them, the entire offensive balance shifts.
The next few months will tell us a lot about Florida’s depth. Carter Verhaeghe, Sam Bennett, and Evan Rodrigues are expected to carry more of the offensive load, while Eetu Luostarinen and Jesper Boqvist will see bigger roles than ever. The Panthers have managed to hang tough without their stars before, but never on this scale.
Tuesday’s opener against Connor Bedard and the Blackhawks will be the first real look at how Florida adapts. Chicago’s roster is healthy and eager, while the Panthers enter with question marks everywhere.
The hope is that Tkachuk returns by late December, giving the Panthers a mid-season lift just as the playoff race tightens. Until then, they’ll need to rely on their system, their depth, and the same scrappy resilience that carried them through two deep Cup runs.
Panthers Vs. Blackhawks TV Schedule and Streaming Options
The Panthers open their title defense against the Chicago Blackhawks on Tuesday, October 7, at 5 p.m. ET at Amerant Bank Arena in Sunrise. The game airs on ESPN and streams on ESPN+ and Hulu.
The stage is set, just not quite the way Florida imagined. The defending champs are already playing catch-up, waiting for their biggest spark to heal while trying to prove they can still roar without him.
