FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. -- The Florida Panthers expect forward Matthew Tkachuk to be sidelined until December while he recovers from offseason surgery to deal with a sports hernia and torn adductor muscle, general manager Bill Zito said Wednesday.
The timeline is fluid, since there are various benchmarks that Tkachuk has to continue hitting in his recovery before the Panthers can further evaluate. The Panthers also expect Tomas Nosek to be out indefinitely, after he was injured during the offseason.
"It's going to be months, for sure," Zito said of Nosek.
Tkachuk missed the final 25 games of the regular season last spring but was able to play through both injuries for the Panthers when the team won its second consecutive Stanley Cup championship. He had surgery in August.
The Panthers open training camp on Thursday.
The December timetable means that Tkachuk should have plenty of time to prepare to play for USA Hockey in February at the Milan-Cortina Olympics. Tkachuk is expected to be one of the top players on the U.S. Olympic team, which will seek its first gold medal since the Lake Placid Games in 1980.
Tkachuk had 23 points -- eight goals and 15 assists -- in 23 playoff games, including seven points in the Stanley Cup Final against Edmonton. The Panthers beat the Oilers in six games.
Florida begins the regular season at home against the Chicago Blackhawks on Oct. 7.
