Paul Maurice: Matthew Tkachuk Injury Not Season-Ending

Florida Panthers star Matthew Tkachuk is expected to return this season after sustaining an injury at the 4 Nations Face-Off.

While the Florida Panthers are still trying to get an exact timeline as to how long Matthew Tkachuk will be out, they still know two things.

One — He will miss some time.

Two — He will return to the lineup at some point this season.

On the Joe Rose Show on 560WQAM, Panthers coach Paul Maurice said that the team was still evaluating Tkachuk to see what the extent of the injury is.

“I don’t have a timeline,” Maurice said on the show. “We’re hoping it’s not too series. There’s a possibility it’s not too serious, but there’s a possibility it is a bit longer term. Even with that, he’s playing for us this year, it’s not that kind of thing.”

That last part quelled some worries after a report from TVA during a Montreal-Ottawa game that there were concerns that the Panthers star could miss the remainder of the season with the injury.

Tkachuk has 22 goals and 57 points in 52 games this season and added two goals and an assist in three games for Team USA at the 4 Nations Face-Off before sustaining an injury in the first of two games against Canada.

He attempted to play in the tournament’s finale against Canada last Thursday but played a shade under seven minutes and did not enter the game at all after the second period.

This is a developing story which will be updated when more information becomes available.