The defending Stanley Cup champion Panthers confirmed Monday, a few hours before Jones’ debut with the team, that Tkachuk is on long-term injured reserve with a lower-body injury. That means Tkachuk won’t be back for a few weeks — and possibly not until the postseason.

Dealing with a lower-body injury, Tkachuk has been ailing since the second game of the 4 Nations Face-Off when he missed the final 12:36 of a 3-1 win for Team USA over Canada. After having to sit out the final game of the round robin, Tkachuk took the ice for just 6:47 in a 3-2 overtime loss to Canada in the championship game on Feb. 20.

Florida Panthers forward Matthew Tkachuk will miss the remainder of the NHL regular season with a groin injury he sustained in the 4 Nations Face-Off, the team announced Monday.

Panthers GM Bill Zito fires back at the doubters after the Seth Jones trade that brought the defenseman in from the Blackhawks.

The NHL trade deadline is less than a week away, and the market is starting to heat up. The Florida Panthers made a move to bolster their blue line by acquiring defenseman Seth Jones from the Chicago Blackhawks,

A day after pulling off the deal that brought Jones in from the Chicago Blackhawks in exchange for goaltender Spencer Knight, Panthers general manager and hockey operations president Bill Zito said the Stanley Cup champions took their time before finally executing the move and agreeing to bring on Jones — who has five years left on a big-money contract.