Matthew Tkachuk facing worst case scenario with injury after 4 Nations Faceoff

Matthew Tkachuk sustained an injury during the 4 Nations Faceoff in their first game against Team Canada. He was able to stay in the tournament for Team USA, but Tkachuk was so injured that he had to sit on the bench for long stretches of time.

Matthew Tkachuk has 57 points in 52 games and is a massive piece to the Cup Champion Florida Panthers, and it would be a massive blow to their season to lose him for any amount of time.

The big question for Florida will be just how long Tkachuk is out for. If he's out until the playoffs, the Panthers could make a huge trade deadline acquisition, but risk playing some postseason without Tkachuk. Similarly, Elliotte Friedman reported some serious concerns about Tkachuk.

It's not clear which play injured Tkachuk against Team Canada, but there was some speculation that he sustained an injury during his fights - that Team USA pre-planned in group chats.

At the end of the day, it's unfortunate for the NHL that Tkachuk will miss such significant time, especially if it's the playoffs too.

Connor McDavid mentioned some concerns that more international play will mean more significant injuries, which was a huge reason the NHL wanted to avoid international hockey.

Players were playing their hearts out in the 4 Nations Faceoff, which gave fans a great product but came at a cost with some injuries. But if you asked Matthew Tkachuk or anyone else, it was still worth it to represent his country in an international game.