The NHL’s All-Star game replacement, the 4 Nations Face-Off, was a smash hit. But there is a reason stars from other sports don’t lay it all on the line at All-Star weekend.
The Florida Panthers are placing Matthew Tkachuk on long-term injured reserve due to a groin injury he suffered in the 4 Nations Face-Off, the team announced Sunday. Tkachuk, 27, has sat out the Panthers’ past four games since his injury. Now placed on the LTIR, Tkachuk will be out for a significant period of time.
Evan Rodrigues and Mackie Samoskevich will likely see additional ice time in place of Tkachuk, who has totaled 57 points (22 goals, 35 assists) in 52 games this season. And the Panthers might also look elsewhere to fill Tkachuk’s minutes, as placing him on LTIR opened up $8.7 million in cap space.
Here is a closer look at Tkachuk’s injury and Florida’s cap situation ahead of the NHL trade deadline on Friday, March 7.
MORE: Panthers trade for Seth Jones in deadline blockbuster
How long is Matthew Tkachuk out?
Tkachuk suffered a lower-body injury in the U.S.’s win over Canada at the 4 Nations Face-Off. He sat out the final 12:36 of the third period due to what has since been reported as a groin injury.
Panthers head coach Paul Maurice has no regrets about losing Tkachuk in the 4 Nations Face-Off.
“It is well worth the risk to display our sport to people in a fantastic way… It’s a risk every day. Every time they step on the ice, that’s possible.”@FlaPanthers head coach Paul Maurice on losing Matthew Tkachuk to injury in the 4 Nations Face-Off pic.twitter.com/4GfYBbgYsl
— Jim Rome (@jimrome) March 1, 2025
Still, while Tkachuk downplayed the injury after the game, saying he had “no concern at all,” he now will miss at least 10 games and 24 days for the Panthers on long-term injured reserve.
With the Panthers likely to make the playoffs, he is expected to be back for the postseason. But there’s a reason Florida might not want to see him back before then.
Florida Panthers cap space
Placing Tkachuk on LTIR was partially a financial decision.
Florida acquired Seth Jones and a fourth-round pick for Spencer Knight and a first-round pick in a blockbuster trade with the Blackhawks on Saturday. Chicago retained about 25% of Jones’ contract, which carries a $9.5 million AAV through 2030. Florida will be responsible for about $7 million annually.
On Sunday, the Panthers had to rectify their cap to make the financials work and fill out the roster.
The Panthers did not have enough cap space to recall Chris Driedger, a goalie from AHL Charlotte Checkers, without getting Tkachuk’s salary off the books, at least for now. Before this move, the Panthers had minus-$2.6 million in cap space, the third-least in the NHL. They now have $8.7 million to work with, per PuckPedia.
The salary cap is not an issue in the playoffs, so Florida can bring Tkachuk back for their first postseason game, as long he is healthy, and not face any salary cap problems. They could even make another move or two at the deadline with their newly created wiggle room.
Tkachuk is Florida’s third-highest paid player, behind Sergei Bobrovsky and Aleksander Barkov.
Matthew Tkachuk contract details
Tkachuk signed an eight-year, $76 million contract with the Panthers in 2022, including a $68 million signing bonus. The average annual salary is $9.5 million and this season, he is earning a base salary of $1 million and a signing bonus of $10.25 million while carrying a cap hit of $9.5 million.
He will be 32 years old when he hits free agency in 2030.
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