Things just aren’t going Matthew Tkachuk’s way right now. The star forward of the Panthers began to feel the effects of the injury during the 4 Nations Face-Off, where he contributed immensely to the Team USA’s qualification for the finals. But in the big showdown against Canada? He only skated on the ice and played only 6:47 in the close 3-2 defeat. And now, it is confirmed–Tkachuk will not be playing for Florida against the Seattle Kraken on Saturday due to a lower-body injury that has fans anxious.

Panthers coach Paul Maurice broke the news after the morning skate, revealing that Tkachuk’s next steps are still up in the air. ‘More tests in the next two days’ doesn’t exactly scream good news, and when the player has 22 goals and 35 assists to his credit this season, his absence is a big loss. To make things even murkier, an international journalist just dropped a hint that Tkachuk’s return to the NHL post-4 Nations injury might not be in the books as fans hope.

TVA Sports jumped on X on February 22 to drop a big update, sharing Renaud Lavoie’s thoughts on Matthew Tkachuk’s situation. And let’s be real—it’s got everyone on the edge. “I want to talk to you about a case that is very important in the national league,” Lavoie began, setting the stage for some major concern. Tkachuk took a tough hit during the 4 Nations showdown, and now, the Panthers are stuck in wait-and-see mode, hoping for the best but bracing for the worst.

“We are waiting for very important medical results on the side of the Panthers, because we hear that it is possible that his season is over.” Yikes. That’s the kind of news no one wants to hear. “We don’t want his season to be over, but there is a certain fear that is currently circulating in Mathew Tkachuk’s case.”

And with the Panthers back in action this afternoon? Yeah, Tkachuk was nowhere to be seen. “So the next few days are going to be very, very, very important for him,” Lavoie stressed, and honestly, that’s the understatement of the season. Right now, all eyes are on those test results, but the uncertainty surrounding Tkachuk’s future? It’s got the entire hockey world waiting with baited breath. Florida was on fire heading into the 13-day 4 Nations Face-Off break, stacking up wins like it was nothing.

Two straight dubs, seven out of ten—yeah, the Panthers were rolling. Well, they are now atop the Atlantic Division with a 34-20-3 record and once again, they look like a legitimate 2024-25 Stanley Cup contender. But here is the catch, if they want to go back to back, they need Matthew Tkachuk in the mix. And just when you thought the injury news couldn’t get worse? Plot twist. He’s not the only Tkachuk brother injured right now.

Matthew Tkachuk and brother deals with injury!

Matthew Tkachuk’s brother, Brady Tkachuk, lit up the 4 Nations Face-Off, putting on an absolute clinic for Team USA. The guy was a force—scoring three goals in two games against Canada and exhibiting that Tkachuk grit few could imitate. But now when the NHL regular season is getting more intense, the younger Tkachuk will not play for Ottawa against Montreal. Turns out, he was grinding through that championship game, and after what looked like a knee-on-goal-post situation in the prelims against Sweden, things weren’t looking great. He still came through with a clutch game-tying goal in the final, but by the end? His normal ice skate aggression was missing.

The exact injury? Still a mystery. However, NHL insider Elliotte Friedman put some of that anxiety to rest when he said that Ottawa is not panicking. They have described it as “day to day,” so let’s hope it is nothing more than that. What’s undeniable, though, is that Brady and his brother Matthew were the heart and soul of Team USA, leading them within one overtime goal of a championship win. And their impact? Massive. The NHL created the 4 Nations to restore the ‘best on best’ format that has been absent since 2016. And the Tkachuk brothers did not disappoint.

The result? Sky-high TV ratings. The final match at the TD Garden was watched by 9.3 million people in the U.S. and 6.3 million in Canada, which is quite a lot for the international hockey. Those USA-Canada games? They had fights, emotion, goals, the sort of passion that the NHL hadn’t witnessed in years. However, now both the brothers are injured, their teams are expecting the return of the players as soon as possible. Because let’s be real—when the Tkachuks are on the ice, everything is just more exciting.