By Matt Reigle
Copyright
NHL teams are gearing up for training camp, and the two-time defending Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers just got some bad news. Star forward Matthew Tkachuk could be out of commission until December. According to GM Bill Zito, Tkachuk had surgery in August after dealing with a sports hernia and torn adductor muscle. The surgery came after deliberations since the end of last season about whether or not he needed to go the surgery route. It seems like they ultimately decided on “yes,” and now the team will be without one of its centerpieces for the first part of the season. “There’s a series of opinions that when somebody undertakes this type of procedure,” Zito said, per the Associated Press. “You can see it’s a possibility. I think ultimately it was the final diagnosis in tandem with his decision of, ‘What do I want to try to do?’” Fortunately, this time frame for Tkachuk’s recovery would indicate that he’ll be ready to go for the Olympics in February, as he was one of the first six players named to Team USA’s roster. The Panthers will also be without forward Tomas Nosek to start the season after he suffered a knee injury over the summer. Whenever I see a team like the Panthers starting to rack up key injuries after several deep playoff runs in a row, I start thinking about mileage. The Cats have been to the finals three straight seasons, and if you add up all of those extra games, you’re adding an extra half-season or so. And that’s a half-season of playoff hockey. Tkachuk has battled injuries in the past. He played in just 52 games last season after suffering a groin injury in the 4 Nations Face-Off. I don’t think there’s any reason to expect him not to be the same kind of impact player he has always been when he returns, but the Panthers will need someone to fill his skates in the early going, especially if they want to stay at the top of a tough Atlantic Division.
