NHL analyst delivers his verdict on Panthers' "suspicious" Matthew Tkachuk to LTIR move ahead of March 7 trade deadline

NHL analyst Bryan Hayes spoke about the Florida Panthers' move to place Matthew Tkachuk on the long-term injured reserve (LTIR) list on Monday. Tkachuk is out with a groin injury, and Panthers general manager Bill Zito confirmed that he wouldn’t return until the playoffs.

Speaking on SC with Jay Onrait, Hayes said he is suspicious of such moves. He pointed to similar moves from the past involving Nikita Kucherov in Tampa Bay, Mark Stone in Las Vegas and Patrick Kane in Chicago.

"I'm always suspicious about any moves like this, absolutely. But I would say, 'Don't hate the player, hate the game,'" Hayes said. "...I have no doubt that Matthew Tkachuk is injured. We saw that at the Four Nations, he barely played in the final."

Placing Matthew Tkachuk on LTIR frees up $8.7 million in cap space, which could help Florida before the trade deadline. They have already acquired Seth Jones, and Hayes expects the team to pursue more moves before the trade deadline on March 7.

"I'm certain Florida will make more moves," Hayes said. "... This is the reality of the LTIR. This is the reality of the restrictive nature of a salary cap. And, Tampa got around it, Vegas got around it, Chicago got around it ... the other teams are gonna hate on it, but ... it is within the rules."

Tkachuk will miss the rest of the regular season and this will be the first time since 2020-21 that he won’t reach 60 points.

Florida Panthers GM Bill Zito speaks about Matthew Tkachuk

Speaking to the media at Baptist Health IcePlex on Monday, Florida Panthers general manager, Bill Zito, spoke about Matthew Tkachuk. Tkachuk suffered a groin injury during the 4 Nations Face-Off. He has missed time since and was placed on the long-term injured reserve (LTIR) list on Sunday.

“Matthew’s going to be out for an extended period of time,” Zito said, via NHL.com. “We hope to get him back for the playoffs. … You have a projection, you have a diagnosis, and a rehab course of action. The how and where and in what manner the progress (is) of that rehab is still yet to be determined.”

Tkachuk has played well for Florida this season, recording 57 points in 52 games. Before his injury, he had scored in six straight games. His absence means other players must step up.

Tkachuk's teammate Jesper Boqvist said on Monday,

“Everyone gets a little more of an opportunity, and you’ve just got to make the most of it .... It obviously sucks losing Chucky (Tkachuk) like that, and hopefully he gets back to us soon.”

Florida sits second in the Atlantic Division with a record of 38-21-3. They are tied with the Toronto Maple Leafs on 79 points, but the Leafs have one game in hand and lead the conference.