FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. -- Matthew Tkachuk is one happy man. The Florida Panthers forward is loving life in South Florida.
“It’s been amazing,” Tkachuk said Friday, the day before the Panthers began the Stanley Cup Final against the Edmonton Oilers.
“This is the best place to live, play, it’s been unreal. The guys are so awesome, really cool group of guys, the trainers, everybody. Everybody made me feel so welcome from Day One, which I think led to success early, and now two years later we’re going back to the second Cup Final and hoping to have a different ending this time.”
The Panthers are certainly on their way to writing a different ending in their second consecutive trip to the Final. They’re up 2-0 in the best-of-7 series heading to Edmonton, where they’ll play the Oilers in Game 3 at Rogers Place on Thursday (8 p.m. ET; ABC, ESPN+, CBC, TVAS, SN).
Tkachuk has been a huge part of the Panthers’ success since they acquired him from the Calgary Flames for forward Jonathan Huberdeau and defenseman MacKenzie Weegar on July 22, 2022. He had 109 points (40 goals, 69 assists) in 79 games last season and 88 points (26 goals, 62 assists) in 80 games this season.
The 26-year-old is entering familiar territory going to Edmonton where, while playing for Calgary from 2016-2022, Tkachuk was quite familiar with the Battle of Alberta between the two Western Canada foes. In 2022, his final season with the Flames, they lost to the Oilers in five games in the Western Conference Second Round.
Tkachuk wasn’t sure of the reception he’ll get in Edmonton.
“I know last year, I was booed every time I touched the puck. This year, there was nothing, so I have no idea,” he said.
But he does know how passionate the fans there will be.
“The first thing that comes to mind is when you play a team in Canada, there’s a different type of passion and spotlight; not only Edmonton, but Canada’s going to be glued to their TVs watching,” Tkachuk said. “You see playing in Calgary, you see the passion Canadian fans have. I don’t think it’s much different from the fans down here, to be honest. Everyone’s into it.”
Tkachuk entered the Cup Final with 19 points (five goals, 14 assists) in 19 games, tied for the Panthers lead with center Aleksander Barkov (six goals, 13 assists). He has yet to get a point against the Oilers but with five shots on goal in the first two games and a consistent physical game, he’s always a presence.
It's that presence that made the Panthers crave Tkachuk two seasons ago. They were already building a strong team around Barkov and defenseman Aaron Ekblad, who were drafted by and have spent their entire NHL careers with Florida.
They signed goalie Sergei Bobrovsky on July 1, 2019, and signed forward Carter Verhaeghe on Oct. 9, 2020, as unrestricted free agents. In 2021, they claimed defenseman Gustav Forsling off waivers on Jan. 9, then acquired forward Sam Bennett from the Flames on April 12 and forward Sam Reinhart from the Buffalo Sabres on July 24.
Getting Tkachuk seemed to be the final piece of the puzzle.
“I mean, if you watch Matthew Tkachuk play hockey and then you watch our team, it wasn’t a great leap to think this is a pretty significant add that can come in, and he brings that energy and enthusiasm,” Florida general manager Bill Zito said. “I think he was 24 at the time, a younger player still coming into his prime and he’s a big-moment guy. I can’t tell you that I was going to be sitting here today (in the Cup Final for a second straight season), but that’s the goal.”
Many of the Panthers players were surprised when Zito acquired Tkachuk. Bennett said he had to FaceTime the power forward, his good friend while in Calgary, to see if the trade news was true. Florida forward Ryan Lomberg said it was “crazy” when they got Tkachuk, but they he figured they were getting something special.
“Losing ‘Huby’ and (Weegar), our 100-point guy and our top-pair [defenseman], and I remember telling one of my buddies we might lose more regular-season games but we’re going to win more playoff games, and that’s exactly how it’s played out,” Lomberg said.
“Obviously you’re losing two incredible players, two incredible people, but to get a guy like ‘Chucky,’ you guys have seen the impact it’s had on our franchise. It’s more than just on the ice; it’s the person he is, the leader he is, the culture he brings just by being who he is. It’s something that’s very, very rare and unique. Bill called him a unicorn when he first got him, and I think that’s pretty self-explanatory.”
Indeed, life has been good for Tkachuk. If the Panthers can close out the Final against the Oilers and win the Stanley Cup for the first time in their history, it’ll be even better.
“It’s a very good time to be a Florida Panther,” Tkachuk said. “I’m enjoying it. I love being down here, I love playing here. It’s been the best thing for me, so I’ve been loving it.”
