Matthew Tkachuk on LTIR with Injury After NHL 4 Nations; Panthers' Updated Salary Cap

The Florida Panthers placed forward Matthew Tkachuk on long-term injured reserve Sunday, which comes on the heels of their trade for defenseman Seth Jones.

Panthers general manager Bill Zito said on Monday that the team hoped Tkachuk would return in time for the playoffs:

The Miami Herald's Jordan McPherson noted how using the injury designation for Tkachuk gives the Panthers much-needed salary cap flexibility as they added $2.5 million to their payroll through the Jones deal.

Jones has a $9.5 million average salary through the deal he originally signed with the Chicago Blackhawks. Chicago is footing the bill for 26 percent of his outstanding money, so the Panthers will pay him a little more than $7 million.

Florida mitigated the cost further by sending goaltender Spencer Knight and his $4.5 million salary to the Windy City.

NHL teams only get temporarily relief when they place a player on LTIR. In the Panthers' case, Tkachuk and his $9.5 million cap hit are set aside for now. It would go back into effect once he's healthy.

McPherson explained how difficult removing him from LTIR will be.

"By doing this, it almost assuredly means Tkachuk's regular season is over because it would be nearly impossible to get cap compliant without trading away one of their core players—a move they could do without putting Tkachuk on LTIR—should they want Tkachuk to return before the playoffs," he wrote.

The NHL permits teams to be over the salary cap in the postseason, so Florida can add Tkachuk back to the active roster with no difficulty once the playoffs roll around.

While not always to this scale, utilizing LTIR to work around the salary cap is a relatively common tactic by general managers who have ambitions of a deep playoff run.

It's not as though the Panthers are falsifying an injury for Tkachuk. He hasn't suited up since the NHL season resumed after the 4 Nations Face-Off, a stretch of four games for Florida.

Being without the 27-year-old for the remainder of the regular season won't help the team's efforts in holding onto first place in the Atlantic Division, either. He's second on the Panthers in goals (22) and assists (35).

But if it was the difference between being able to afford Jones and failing to complete the trade, general manager Bill Zito showed he's willing to have Tkachuk out of the lineup for an extended stretch.