Florida Panthers star forward Matthew Tkachuk is not known for his quiet presence on the ice.
A master instigator and skilled skater, the Olympic gold medalist relishes in provoking opposing skaters into unforced errors and drawing penalties. He's also the first to defend a teammate when an opponent gets frisky (Tkachuk ranks in the top 5 in penalty minutes for the Panthers). When Tkachuk's on the ice, he makes his presence known.
But what isn't so well known is the torrid start the two-time All-Star has achieved in the young 2026-27 season.
Entering Monday night's games, Tkachuk, in his 11th NHL season, ranked seventh in the league in assists with 12. But even less known are the 28-year-old's 16 total points -- tied for 11th overall.
Coach Paul Maurice expected a hot start as it's the first time in several years that Tkachuk was able to fully train in the off-season.
"One thing about Matthew is he's better this year than he's ever been," Maurice said just before the season began. "He's faster than he's ever been, so he's improved. It's also the first summer in four where he actually got to train."
Tkachuk's power play goal gave the Panthers a 2-1 lead in the first period in their 3-2 win against Chicago on Sunday. The goal - Matthew's fourth -- was assisted by his brother, Brady, and defenseman Seth Jones (who not-so-quietly ranks 8th in the NHL with his 11 assists). Brady has seven goals and five assists for 12 total points to trail Matthew by four. Many Panther fans wonder which brother will have the most total points at season's end.
Matthew has notched a point in 10 of the Panthers' first 12 games. Florida is 6-4-2 heading into Tuesday's 8 p.m. matchup at Winnipeg (4-4-3).
Matthew has success against the Jets, with 25 points (10G, 25A) in 29 career games against Winnipeg. Also of note -- of Tkachuk’s team-high 16 points ,11 have come on the road. The Panthers will also host the Jets in Sunrise on Friday.
Columbus Paid the Price
Matthew's biggest game so far this season came against the Blue Jackets. His five assists tied the Florida Panthers single-game franchise record for most assists, previously set by Aleksander Barkov (March 8, 2019) and matched by Anton Lundell (January 31, 2022).
Matthew is averaging more than one assist per game, putting him on pace to break the Panther's all-time season assist record, set by Jonathan Huberdeau (85 assists during the 2021–22 NHL season).
The number 2 and 3 all-time assists record for the Panthers are both held by Matthew, who notched 69 in 2022-23 and 62 in 2023-24.
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