It is not uncommon for star players to opt out of training camp in the NHL. But for the back to back Stanley Cup Champion Florida Panthers, this is not the case. Alternate captain Matthew Tkachuk will not be at training camp, but not by choice. The 27-year-old is recovering from surgery to repair a torn abductor muscle, as well as recovering from the sports hernia that led to him missing 25 games last season.
General manager Bill Zito provided a soft time frame on his recovery.
“Anticipate him being out until December-ish,” Zito said of Tkachuk.
There is no real time table available yet, as Tkachuk received the surgery just last month. There was a multi-week deliberation that included trips to several different specialists.
“There’s a series of opinions that when somebody undertakes this type of procedure,” Zito said. “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?’”
“There are measuring posts along the way and then how your reaction is at a certain point would then dictate when the next one is,” Zito continued about Tkachuk’s return-to-play plan. “It’s not necessarily equally laid-out timelines. … And so, we anticipate him being out until December-ish, but don’t hold me to that. That’s my internet medical degree.”
Tomas Nosek To Miss Extended Time
In addition to Matthew Tkachuk, fourth liner Tomas Nosek is also expected to miss an extended period of time.
“It’s going to be months, for sure,” Zito said of Nosek.
Nosek is dealing with an undisclosed knee injury. The fourth liner appeared in 59 regular season games and 16 games during the cup run. He accumulated 12 total points including one goal.
Everyone else inside the building is expected to make a healthy return just 91 days after the team hoisted Lord Stanley for the second time.
The Panthers look to become the first team to win three in a row since the New York Rangers went on their four year run in the 1980’s.
Keith Tkachuk Speaks On Florida’s Winning Culture
Professional hockey player, turned legendary hockey dad Keith Tkachuk did an interview with RG.org and gave his opinion on why everything has gone right for the Panthers in the last two years.
“It’s a combination of everything, the ownership, the general manager being very creative to bring these guys down,” says Tkachuk. “You gotta remember all these guys they traded for — Sam Bennett, Sam Reinhart, Matthew, these are all high draft picks from other teams, and they found a way to make those acquisitions. The coach Paul Maurice is a players coach and lets the guys kind of do what they do in the locker room and on the bench, and the players are all buying in.”
Tkachuk’s father says the team should be considered cup favorites heading into the three-peat. However, he did provide an err of caution to anxious fans, explaining how and why it could go wrong as his own son recovers from injury.
“The biggest issue they might have is the wear and tear over the last three years of going as deep as they did,” says Tkachuk. “Plus what all the guys in the Four Nations did last year and what’s going to happen in February in the Olympics. Fatigue might set in, but I think they’re mentally strong, and their culture is too good, but you never know what could happen in the playoffs. The beasts are out in the west. I think the East, what Matthew always says is Tampa is always the toughest team to play against, because they do have that greasy skill game.”
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