Sports are all about making sacrifices, but playing at the cost of worsening your health is hardly wise. Take Matthew Tkachuk, who, despite earning plenty of attention for his stellar performances during the Florida Panthers’ back-to-back Stanley Cup wins, was secretly playing through a torn adductor muscle and a sports hernia during this year’s playoffs. Heroic or reckless — you decide.

“I wanted to throw in the towel a bunch of times,” he even added after the Stanley Cup final. But talk about being a tough nut to crack, the 27-year-old chose to push through with help from his trainers and, even more importantly, his loved ones. Still, the offseason has been filled with questions about Tkachuk’s recovery, with surgery expected at some point.

And the timing of that procedure will likely determine when he can get back on the ice. Now, renowned American sports reporter and NHL insider Frank Seravalli has an update to offer. In a tweet compiled by @NHLRumourReport, Seravalli said, “I’d say we’re probably not gonna see Matthew Tkachuk for 3 to 5 months.”

Recently, ESPN’s Greg Wyshynski also reported that Tkachuk himself was “undecided” over getting a surgery before the 2024-26 season. The report also stated that in case the Panthers’ star decides on surgery, he himself acknowledged the possibility of missing out on the first two or even three months of action. In fact, after the Panthers’ championship win, reports indicated that Tkachuk would undergo surgery soon after.

Instead, his personal life came first — on July 19, he tied the knot with his partner, Ellie Connell. Additionally, another NHL insider, Evander Renaerts, revealed that though a late summer surgery would mean he might miss considerable time in the upcoming season on LTIR, just as Evander Kane did last year.

Now, the Panthers have enough depth to manage without Tkachuk for a while — potentially until Christmas. But the bigger focus is the Winter Olympics from February 6 to 22. Team USA’s chances of chasing gold could depend heavily on whether Tkachuk is ready and in top form by then.

Interestingly, esteemed reporter Elliotte Friedman discussed Matthew Tkachuk’s situation with co-host Kyle Bukauskas on the 32 Thoughts podcast (August 3), suggesting that the Panthers star may miss the season’s start but should return in time for the Olympics — a timeline seemingly planned from the outset.

One certainly hopes it turns out to be true, considering Matthew himself has already planned out a certain sweet revenge to take against Canada!

Matthew Tkachuk fires a stern warning to Canada

Despite injury concerns, Matthew Tkachuk has his eyes firmly set on the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy. However, rather than the entire tournament, most attention is on the iconic USA vs. Canada clash — especially after their loss in the 4 Nations Face-Off final. Naturally, Tkachuk was asked whether he’s seeking revenge against the Canadians. Surprisingly, he downplayed that narrative, choosing instead to focus on how long it has been since Team USA last stood on top of the hockey world.

Tkachuk further insisted that the 2026 Winter Games won’t be just about medals for him and his teammates. “I don’t think it’d be as much as revenge than showing how far along USA Hockey has come,” he said, insisting on how he wants his team to honor the generations of American players who came before.

“So not only would winning [gold] accomplish dreams for us, but hopefully it would bring a lot of satisfaction for those guys that paved the way for us,” concluded the Panthers star. Still, it remains uncertain whether Matthew Tkachuk will lace up his skates again in time to lead by example for his country.