Brad Marchand and the Florida Panthers can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel. It took a while, but the Cats are riding a big wave of momentum in the NHL. In addition to the festive vibes, head coach Paul Maurice confirmed a key teammate is set to return to the lineup, although it’s not Matthew Tkachuk.
The Panthers have been affected by a season-long injury bug. Watching star players go down like flies night in and night out, it was Marchand and company who kept the ship afloat. However, the 37-year-old can only take them so far in an 82-game NHL campaign.
Though Tkachuk’s return is a little further down the road, the Cats are trending to welcome back one of the most exciting young players on the roster: Mackie Samoskevich.
“Maurice says he’s ‘hopeful’ that Samoskevich will be able to return for the game vs. Tampa after the [Christmas] break,” Panthers beat reporter Jameson Olive stated on X.
Mackie Samoskevich after the 2025v tanley Cup conquest
Tkachuk’s timeline
All season long, fans in Sunrise have wondered when Tkachuk was going to make his return to the ice. After undergoing surgery on a torn adductor and a sports hernia, everybody knew it would take a while for him to be back with the Panthers. Still, the prospect of playing in the southernmost Winter Classic in NHL history at loanDepot Park in Miami has been enough to fuel Tkachuk’s recovery journey.
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The timeline for him still stands at January 2, when the Panthers take on the New York Rangers outdoors in the elements—if playing in tropical Little Havana can even be called that. Tkachuk himself has recently issued an honest statement on how he feels heading into the home stretch of his post-surgery rehabilitation.
“I (expletive) feel great, Brady [Tkachuk]. Really, really good,” Matthew Tkachuk said during the latest episode of his podcast, Wingmen with Matthew and Brady Tkachuk. “I will be back with the team practicing probably right after Christmas, if things go as they’ve been going. I’m just following the doctors and trainers orders right now.”
Panthers are back in business
In the meantime, Marchand and the Panthers will vie to keep it rolling. After struggling to be consistent all season long, Florida is now 8-2-0 in its last 10 outings.
Heading into the holidays break, the back-to-back Stanley Cup champions are holding the last wild card spot in the Eastern Conference. Considering they are missing Tkachuk, Barkov, Kulikov, Nosek, Schwindt, and Gadjovich, things could be much worse for the Cardiac Cats.
