Florida Panthers forward Matthew Tkachuk played hurt throughout the 2025 Stanley Cup playoffs. But the extent of Tkachuk’s injuries is just now becoming apparent.
Panthers coach Paul Maurice made it clear that Tkachuk had been playing through a torn adductor muscle and a sports hernia during a press conference following the Cats’ Stanley Cup victory over the Edmonton Oilers on Tuesday night.
Maurice stated that Tkachuk had the adductor muscle ripped off the bone throughout the playoffs.
Tkachuk, for his part, declared that he had some “hernia thing,” an injury that nearly sidelined him throughout the Stanley Cup playoffs.
Tkachuk stated the following after the Panthers clinched their second Stanley Cup in team history:
“I tore my adductor off the bone. And, I had some hernia thing, all on the same side.”
The devastating injury would have been enough to sideline Tkachuk . But the Florida star kept going despite the ailments.
He declared:
“Wanted to throw in the towel, a bunch of times. Sure, but I have to thank a lot of people for getting me healthy enough.”
The injuries, as gruesome as they were, did not slow Tkachuk down in the playoffs. He tied for the team lead in points with 23. His goal in Game 6 against the Oilers was the Cup-clinching tally.
Tkachuk Sustained Injuries while Away from Florida Panthers
The worst part of Matthew Tkachuk’s injury ordeal was that the injuries he played through the playoffs were not sustained while playing with the Panthers.
As a piece in The Athletic published on June 17 confirmed, Tkachuk suffered the devastating ailments during his participation on the Team USA squad at the 4 Nations Face-Off this past season.
Tkachuk missed the final game against Canada, with the Panthers sitting him for the remainder of the regular season. Tkachuk returned for Game 1 of the 2025 Stanley Cup playoffs against the Tampa Bay Lightning , but he wasn’t fully healthy.
As Tkachuk himself admitted, he was 50-50 to play at the start of the postseason. The Athletic quote Tkachuk as stating:
“I didn’t know if I was going to come back at the start, and kind of found out the day before I was going to have a chance to play. Day of, honestly.”
Had this injury occurred during the regular season, it’s safe to say that Tkachuk would not have played.
First Round Was the Worst for Tkachuk and Florida Panthers
Tkachuk expanded on his ordeal, declaring that the first round against the Tampa Bay Lightning was the worst for him.
He stated:
“The first round was definitely the worst I felt, by far, and just knowing that was going to be, other than this round, that was our toughest round, playing Tampa.”
Tkachuk exploded in Game 1 against Tampa, scoring two goals and an assist. He ended the series with six points.
He had a relatively quiet series against the Toronto Maple Leafs , but roared back against the Carolina Hurricanes in the Eastern Conference Final, before playing a crucial role in the Stanley Cup Final against the Oilers.
The Panthers will focus on getting Tkachuk healthy for next season, though there’s no word if surgery will be required to repair Tkachuk’s injuries.
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