The Florida Panthers are dealing with some major roster moves and an injury to one of their top stars.
Star forward Matthew Tkachuk has been placed on long-term injured reserve with what’s believed to be a groin injury. He picked up the injury during Team USA’s 4-Nations Face-Off tournament earlier this month.
Tkachuk tried to tough it out in the championship game against Canada but only managed to play about seven minutes in the overtime loss. He’s now expected to miss up to a month, according to ESPN’s Emily Kaplan.
It’s a huge blow for the Panthers. Tkachuk has been absolutely crushing it this season with 22 goals and 57 points in 54 games, plus 54 penalty minutes and 84 hits. He’s second on the team in both goals and points, trailing only Sam Reinhart.
The team has managed pretty well without him so far, winning three of four games since returning from break.
To fill the gap, Florida’s giving bigger roles to Mackie Samoskevich and Evan Rodrigues. The rookie Samoskevich is getting hot at the right time, putting up seven points in his last 11 games. He’s now at 19 points for the season, and those numbers could jump with more ice time.
Rodrigues has been Mr. Reliable, notching 27 points in 61 games. He’s on track to come close to the 39-point mark he’s hit the last two seasons.
In a separate move, the Panthers have brought up goalie Chris Driedger from the minors. He’ll be the new backup after Florida traded Spencer Knight to Chicago on Friday.
Driedger’s numbers in the AHL this year haven’t been great – just an .878 save percentage with a 10-6-4 record. But he’s got solid NHL experience, with a career .917 save percentage over 67 games with Florida and Seattle.
The Panthers are hoping he can find his old form quickly as they gear up for what looks like a serious playoff run.
