“It’s exciting to be back, and it’s more exciting to be back fully ready to go,” Tkachuk said during Media Day at Amerant Bank Arena on Wednesday. “I’d be lying to you if I told you there weren’t some tough parts of summer with maybe just thinking I might not be ready in time, but the past month or so has been as good as it can go. I’ve been pretty much full-out for the last month.”
Fortifying his folk-hero status after suffering the unfortunate injury, Tkachuk returned for the third period of Game 3 and scored the tying goal with 2:13 left on the clock. Helping the franchise earn its first-ever win in the Stanley Cup Final, the Panthers went on to beat the Golden Knights in overtime.
After skating 16:40 in Game 4, Tkachuk was unable to take the ice for Game 5.
“I personally hate talking about last year now,” said Tkachuk, who led the Panthers in goals (11) and points (24) in the postseason. “Great memories, but it didn’t end the way we wanted it to. … You can keep it in your mind. We experienced something last year that’s going to help us this year. We can’t totally forget about it, but we’ve got to create some new memories this year.”
Panthers general manager Bill Zito said Tkachuk kept in close contact during his rehab this summer.
“I know he worked awfully hard,” Zito said. “He was in contact with our sports science and trainers regularly to make sure he was doing everything he could. Matthew, what does on the ice, is one thing. What he does off the ice, how he comports himself as a person, how he helps his teammates, it’s that total package."
Making a seismic splash during his first season in South Florida, Tkachuk finished third in voting for the Hart Trophy after racking up a career-high 109 points (40 goals, 69 assists) in 79 games in 2022-23.
Back on the ice and going at full speed during recent informal skates at the Panthers IceDen, Tkachuk’s speedy return to form has really impressed teammates such as Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov.
“Just to see him in these skates we had last week, just to see what he can do on the ice and how easy it looks for him when he does what he does with the puck and without the puck and how he finds everyone on the ice is close to no one,” Barkov said with noticeable excitement in his voice. “It’s great to have that type of guy on your team and that type of leader on your team.”
When asked for his own diagnosis of Tkachuk, Barkov cracked a smile.
“I saw him play golf the other day, so I think he’s all right,” the Finn said.
With a clean bill of health and a new campaign on the horizon, Tkachuk, who’s still only 25 years old, is confident that even bigger seasons are ahead for both himself and the Panthers.
“There’s a lot of room for me to grow,” he said. “I do not think I’m even close to my prime yet.”
To catch Tkachuk and the Panthers in Sunrise this season, click HERE.
