On February 15, while Team USA was inching toward victory against Canada, The Athletic‘s Mark Lazerus made an ominous comment. “Matthew Tkachuk is obviously dealing with something, which has to send a shudder through the spines of every Florida Panthers fan,” the reporter wrote. Lazarus added scenes like this were exactly why NHL teams were so “reluctant,” about the 4 Nations Face-Off.
Unfortunately for Panthers fans, the reporter’s worries would come true, as Team USA announced that Tkachuk was out due to injury. However, the severity of that injury only became apparent later. Tkachuk only played for 6:48 minutes and sat out the crucial third period and OT. Now, over a month and a half and 16 missed NHL games later, the Panthers captain is practicing again. Yet, fans would do well to hold off their celebrations.
Why? Well, because coach Paul Maurice didn’t really have an assuring answer while discussing the possibility of Tkachuk’s return. “Yeah, I mean, is he still basically just out there touching pucks today… There’s no conditioning component to it cuz he’s not there yet. So he’ll probably just get out on the ice and move some pucks around for a few more days, probably another week or so,” added the coach.
This story is developing…
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