The Florida Panthers know it is going to be hard to replace Matthew Tkachuk. Players like him are, in more ways than one, irreplaceable. “There’s no one else in the world like Matthew,’’ captain Sasha Barkov said.

The Florida Panthers play their first game in two weeks Saturday and will almost assuredly be without star forward Matthew Tkachuk. Tkachuk appears to have sustained a groin injury Saturday night against Canada in the NHL’s 4 Nations Face-Off.

Panthers star forward Matthew Tkachuk will miss Florida's game against the Seattle Kraken on Saturday because of a lower-body injury.

In the club's return from the 4 Nations Face-Off break, the Florida Panthers were without forward Matthew Tkachuk in Saturday night's 2-1 loss to the Seattle Kraken, as the former Team USA winger nurses a lower-body injury suffered during the tourney.

Florida Panthers star forward Matthew Tkachuk was a difference maker for Team USA during the 4 Nations Face-Off, but he couldn’t help much dealing with an injury. The Panthers forward suffered a lower-body injury in a round-robin match against Team Canada and has yet to fully recover.

Everybody gets their depth tested over the course of the year. Usually, if you’ve handled it right, you find out some really good things.’

Florida Panthers coach Paul Maurice on Monday provided an update on star winger Matthew Tkachuk, who sustained a lower-body injury in the 4 Nations Face-Off, and the outcome appears to avoid the worst-case scenario.

Just last week the United States lost a heartbreaker to Canada in the 4 Nations Face-Off title game when Connor McDavid wristed home a 3-2 overtime winner.

The Panthers will be without Matthew Tkachuk due to an injury he suffered in the 4 Nations Face-Off but should be back this year.