Matthew Tkachuk just can’t catch a break. The celebrity Panthers star, despite being a crucial centerpiece to Florida’s back-to-back Stanley Cup wins, has been fighting an arduous battle off the ice for months. Following the big win over the Oilers in the 2025 Cup Final, the winger revealed that he had been playing through a torn adductor muscle and a sports hernia. And now, as the next season steadily approaches, it looks like fans want a conclusion to the whole matter.

“I don’t know if it’ll be a normal summer or not,” Tkachuk told reporters in June when expanding on how he plans to tackle his injury problems. Then, in July, Sportsnet’s Nick Kypreos noted on social media that Chucky might need corrective surgery for his condition, but couldn’t give a definite timeframe as to when it’s likely to happen. But fans are nearing the edge.

ESPN’s Greg Wyshynski took to X on August 8 to note that Tkachuk is yet to confirm his decision about the surgery. “Matthew Tkachuk tells ESPN that he remains “undecided” about undergoing surgery before the 2025-26 season,” the social media update stated. However, in the scenario that Chucky decides to give himself over to the doctors, he “acknowledged the possibility that he’ll miss “the first two or maybe three months” for the @FlaPanthers if he goes under the knife,” as per Wyshynski’s post.

Truth be told, ever since February’s 4 Nations Face-Off, Tkachuk hasn’t been fully well. Coach Paul Maurice also noted that the Cats’ star was “a mess” before the 2025 playoffs, and even stated, “We weren’t hopeful at the start that he would survive the first round.” But Matthew defied all that cynicism and hauled in 23 points in 23 postseason games, operating as the spearhead for the Panthers’ title defense campaign.

Naturally, with Tkachuk playing such a pivotal role in the Panthers’ three straight Stanley Cup Final trips since his arrival in Sunrise, Florida, in 2022, fans just want him to show up in the Cats’ jersey. The 27-year-old also admitted that he wants to be in the middle of the action, putting his woes in the rearview mirror. “I’m still hoping to hit the ice as soon as possible,” Chucky told ESPN on Friday.

However, as of now, things continue to be uncertain. Tkachuk missed a significant portion of the last regular season following the troubles he faced at the international hockey tournament in February. When he did come back to the team for the playoffs, Coach Maurice was publicly disappointed by the star’s performance. With the possibility of the same thing repeating next season, fans are justifiably fuming.

Fans tear through Matthew Tkachuk’s indecisiveness

When Matthew missed the final game of the regular season and then returned for the first game of the postseason, fans were livid. Referring to the Oilers undergoing the NHL’s scrutiny, fans smelled foul in how Tkachuk got himself cleared. And now, with a similar situation being on the table, fans just can’t imagine how this could fly. “So January surgery, LTIR, and miraculous return as the playoffs start?” one fan noted their prediction of how the whole thing could play out.

Moreoever, there are bigger stakes than just the NHL season. The 2026 Italy Winter Olympics are just a few months away. Just after the Panthers’ second Stanley Cup win in June, Matthew’s brother Brady Tkachuk had noted that playing for the USA at next year’s tournament is the next big plan for him and his older brother. For obvious reasons, with Matthew still failing to confirm his plans, fans are irate. “Then this should have been done by mid July to minimize time missed,” one fan knows it was an easy fix. Another said something similar: “huh seems to me if he made the decision after the season ended, he could have cut a month off of that.”

However, some fans think that such backlash is uncalled for, especially considering how competing in the Olympics is something every athlete dreams of. “The Olympics are in February. Do you think the face of USA hockey would miss them for LTIR shenanigans? Lets think logically for once lmfao,” a fan pointed out.

On the other hand, it was only recently revealed that Matthew will grace the face of the next official NHL video game cover. Now, with the latest development, fans are again furious as to how the Florida winger can be so casual toward his work despite being bestowed with such an honor. “They put a guy who doesn’t play in the regular season on the cover of NHL,” a fan observed, we could practically hear their eye roll.

What about you, though? How do you think Chucky should approach the situation? Tell us in a comment!