Can we talk about the 4 Nations Face-Off curse real quick? It’s not officially a curse (yet), but after what just went down with Matthew Tkachuk, hockey fans are starting to connect the dots — and it’s messy. The Panthers’ star forward is officially done for the regular season, and Florida fans are sweating harder than a goalie in double OT. The injury update dropped like a bomb on Monday, and now, everyone’s asking: was the 4 Nations worth it?

B/R Open Ice put it plain and simple in their post on March 3, stated,:“Matthew is going to be out for an extended period of time, and we hope to get him back for the playoffs.” — Panthers GM Bill Zito on the injured Matthew Tkachuk.” And fans are reacting furiously to this.

Here’s how it went down — Tkachuk got banged up during the 4 Nations Face-Off, playing for Team USA. That groin injury? Tkachuk got injured while playing for USA at 4-Nations Face-Off last month. After sitting out the last 12:36 of the third period against Canada on February 15, Matthew Tkachuk did not appear in the match against Sweden on February 17.

Hockey X (Formerly Twitter) (and all social media platforms) is spiraling over this one. Some fans are ready to cancel midseason international events altogether, while others are calling out the NHL’s cursed injury luck for cup champs. Either way, Tkachuk’s absence is a full-on earthquake for Florida — and we’ve got receipts.

Matthew Tkachuk’s injury plea has been heard around the NHL World

One fan jumped straight into it, said, “It’s a devil’s bargain when you hold these events in season. You want 4 Nations or Olympics, you live with this stuff. All Star games suck – but you don’t break for 2 weeks, compress your schedule, and potentially risk taking top teams out of contention.” Big facts here — 4 Nations was a blast, but the timing? Brutal. Teams like Florida are already grinding through an 82-game marathon, and now you throw in a midseason international clash where guys are going full tilt? This isn’t some lazy All-Star Game where they mess around and flip pucks into the stands. Tkachuk logged 18:47 against Finland — real minutes, real stakes — and now Florida’s paying the price.

“He really is hurt, there’s a reason he sat during the 4 Nations finals, but I get the feeling he’s not as hurt and would probably be able to come back sooner.” Groin injuries do not mess around. Ask anyone who’s ever tweaked one — you don’t just skate it off. Especially not if you play like Matthew Tkachuk: constant pivots, relentless cuts, contact every shift. Rush that back too soon, and you’re looking at a season-ending setback. Florida’s playing this one smart — they officially placed him on LTIR on March 2, grabbing some cap flexibility now while quietly hoping they can sneak him back for Game 1 of the playoffs.

“When you see the obvious groin pull you’re thinking game or two. Never in my wildest imagination did I see LTIR. Hated this dude leading into 4N and ended up loving him for his contributions to that team.” This one stings because it’s true. Tkachuk went from chirp king to clutch hero during 4 Nations — then boom, groin gives out in that February 13 game at Bell Centre. Normally, you’re thinking a week off, ice baths, maybe miss a game or two. LTIR though? That’s a minimum of 10 games and 24 days — a legit chunk of Florida’s stretch run. For a team still fighting for home ice, that’s devastating.

“If you hope to get him back then they certainly won’t be any big adds at the deadline….” said a fan, another followed, saying, “Seems like every team that wins the cup gets to take advantage of the LTIR the next season… #NHL” Maybe. But make no mistake — this injury is very real. Matthew Tkachuk’s 57 points (22 goals, 35 assists) in 52 games made him Florida’s second-leading scorer, not to mention the emotional pulse of the lineup. This is a 2024 Stanley Cup champ, a relentless agitator, and a power play engine all in one. There’s no replacing that.