While the Florida Panthers will enter the 2025-26 season and their attempt to win a third consecutive Stanley Cup — without star winger Matthew Tkachuk — Panthers president of hockey operations and general manager Bill Zito said he feels the Panthers are positioned to handle his early absence.

Tkachuk, who played through a torn adductor muscle and sports hernia during the 2025 Stanley Cup playoffs to help the Panthers to a second consecutive title, recently underwent surgery and is reportedly expected to be sidelined until at least January.

“We’re going through the recovery and rehab process,” Zito told the Miami Herald on Thursday without divulging a specific timeline for Tkachuk. “He’ll be ready when he’s right ... but we are equipped and prepared for any number of scenarios.”

Tkachuk’s hope is, at the latest, to be back before the start of the Winter Olympics in February. He was one of six players already named to the Olympic roster along with brother Brady Tkachuk, Auston Matthews, Jack Eichel, Quinn Hughes and Charlie McAvoy. Team USA general manager Bill Guerin told multiple outlets, including ESPN, on Wednesday after Team USA’s Olympic orientation camp in Plymouth, Mich., that they are “planning and expecting” him to be with them in Milan, Italy.

“If something changes, then we’ll do what we have to do,” Guerin said. “But he’s on [the roster] and he’s going to be on until he can’t.”

The Panthers played the final 25 games of the regular season without Tkachuk after he sustained the injuries during the 4 Nations Face-Off in February. While Tkachuk returned for the postseason and produced 23 points (eight goals, 15 assists), Florida coach Paul Maurice was able to used that extended stretch to mix and match parts of his lineup to figure out what combinations could work if needed.

“It’s become a cliche in sports, ‘Well, it provides opportunity for other people,’ ” Zito said, “but it does, and it provides responsibility.”

And the Panthers still have a loaded roster entering the season, even with Tkachuk sidelined. His injury will land him on long-term injured reserve, a move that will temporarily take Tkachuk’s $9.5 million salary cap hit off the books. Florida needs that because the Panthers are currently $4.5 million over the cap when factoring in Tkachuk’s contract. Players placed on LTIR must miss a minimum of 10 games or 24 days (whichever is longer).

That allows Florida to return everyone else from its Stanley Cup championship-clinching lineup except third-pair defenseman Nate Schmidt, who signed with the Utah Mammoth this offseason.

The 11 healthy returning forwards from that final lineup are Aleksander Barkov, Sam Reinhart, Carter Verhaeghe, Sam Bennett, Evan Rodrigues, Anton Lundell, Brad Marchand, Eetu Luostarinen, A.J. Greer, Jonah Gadjovich and Tomas Nosek.

Jesper Boqvist, Mackie Samoskevich and newly signed Luke Kunin add valuable forward depth to that group.

Boqvist set a career high with 12 goals and tied a career high with 23 points through 78 regular-season games last season and had five points (two goals, three assists) in 13 playoff games. Maurice was able to plug Boqvist anywhere in the lineup when there was a void, a role that Rodrigues also provides the Panthers.

Samoskevich logged 31 points (15 goals, 16 assists) in 72 regular-season games during his first full NHL campaign but saw action in just four postseason games. His shot is lethal, and he’s dangerous on the power play, giving him the potential to be a steady middle-six forward long-term.

And Kunin gives Florida another physical bottom-six presence. Kunin, 27 has played in 434 career NHL games through eight seasons, producing 73 goals and 69 assists for 142 points during stops with the Minnesota Wild, Nashville Predators, San Jose Sharks and Columbus Blue Jackets. He has 887 career hits, including at least 165 in three of the past four seasons.

“The more people that we can work in and learn about and reward as well,” Zito said, “I think the better off we are as a team.”

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