Matthew Tkachuk played a massive role in helping the Florida Panthers secure the franchise’s second consecutive Stanley Cup. However, Tkachuk dealt with quite a bit of adversity throughout the 2024-25 season en route to reaching the league’s mountaintop.
In a postgame interview with TNT’s Darren Pang following Florida’s 5-1 win in Game 6, Tkachuk revealed that he was dealing with multiple injuries throughout the year, including a abductor muscle that was torn from the bone.
“I tore my adductor off the bone and had some hernia thing all on the same side,” Tkachuk said when asked about his injuries. “I wanted to throw in the towel a bunch of times.”
Tkachuk was an integral part of the United States roster during the 4 Nations Face-Off in February. He helped lead the Americans to the championship game of the round-robin tournament before falling to Canada in overtime. Tkachuk ended up suffering what was categorized as a lower-body injury in the tournament and didn’t play during the remainder of the regular season when the NHL resumed play.
When the Panthers began their first-round series against the Tampa Bay Lightning, Tkachuk was in the lineup for Game 1 and announced his presence in a big way. The Panthers winger tallied two goals and an assist in a dominant 6-2 win to get the Stanley Cup playoffs started on the right foot.
No one knew exactly what Tkachuk went through as the postseason moved along. Tkachuk finished tied for the team lead in points (23) with Sam Reinhart and Carter Verhaeghe as he tallied eight goals and 15 assists. During the Stanley Cup Final, the Panthers star recorded three goals and four assists, which included a two-goal performance in a 5-4 overtime loss in Game 4.
Since being acquired from the Calgary Flames in July 2022, Tkachuk has led the Panthers to three consecutive Stanley Cup Finals and hoisted Lord Stanley’s Cup in each of the past two campaigns. Considering what he battled through this time around, Tkachuk proved just how tough of a player he is.
