The Florida Panthers are the defending Stanley Cup champions, so they will have a hard time finding people to feel sorry for them now that forward Matthew Tkachuk has been injured and isn’t expected to be available for an indefinite amount of time.
If he were to be out long term, could the defending champs look to make a major splash on the trade market? According to NHL analyst Nick Kypreos, the Panthers could swing for the fences and try and acquire Mikko Rantanen from the Carolina Hurricanes, via Sportsnet.
“In the East, the Florida Panthers could be a team in the running for Rantanen if Matthew Tkachuk’s long-term groin injury potentially ends his regular season,” he wrote.
Rantanen has already been dealt this season from the Colorado Avalanche to the Hurricanes in what was a blockbuster three-team trade that also involved the Chicago Blackhawks, but it isn’t clear on whether or not the Hurricanes will be able to ink him to an extension before he enters free-agency on July 1.
The Panthers take on the Edmonton Oilers in a rematch of the 2024 Stanley Cup Final on Thursday night.
Panthers forward Matthew Tkachuk could be out long term
Tkachuk, who was one of the key players for Team USA during the recently completed 4 Nations Face-Off tournament, is believed to have suffered a groin injury and could be out of the lineup for the foreseeable future.
“On the Joe Rose Show this morning, FLA coach Paul Maurice said Matthew Tkachuk’s injury (believed to be a groin) could be a bit longer term, ‘But he’s playing for us this year,” Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported.
So far in his third season with the Panthers since the blockbuster trade that brought him to the Sunshine State from the Calgary Flames, Tkachuk has scored 22 goals with 35 assists.
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