Florida Panthers forward Matthew Tkachuk was placed on long-term injured reserve (LTIR) on Sunday due to a groin injury. He has missed the last four games after being injured during the 4 Nations Face-Off; in his absence, Evan Rodrigues and Mackie Samoskevich are expected to see additional play time.
Per rumors, the Panthers also made the move to place Tkachuk on LTIR due to not have enough cap space to recall a backup goalie from AHL Charlotte without getting Tkachuk’s salary off the cap (according to PuckPedia, the Panthers had in the neighborhood of $563,000 in cap space; Driedger’s cap hit is $795,000).
Tkachuk, 27, has totaled 57 points (22 goals, 35 assists) in 52 games this season. In 642 career games with the Calgary Flames and Panthers, the forward has totaled 636 points (240 goals, 396 assists).
Editorial credit: Ridex Official / Shutterstock.com
