Matthew Tkachuk doesn’t hide his sadness

Jonathan Di Gregorio
Matthew Tkachuk doesn’t hide his sadness
Credit: Vince Del Monte/NHLI via Getty Images

Matthew Tkachuk must be thrilled that his brother Brady is joining the Panthers.

Along with Sam Bennett, the two brothers could form one of the toughest trios to face in the NHL next season.

However, the older Tkachuk has also seen the departure of teammates with whom he was particularly close, including Evan Rodrigues, Jesper Boqvist, and especially Sergei Bobrovsky.

Matthew discussed the situation with his brother on their podcast, Wingmen, and it's clear that the loss of Bobrovsky—whom he praises effusively—has affected him deeply.

According to Matthew, the 37-year-old goaltender was the backbone of the Panthers. Without him, the team wouldn't have won its two Stanley Cups, which completely changed the forward's life.

He goes on to say that their goalie often won games the team didn't deserve to win and that he was an incredible teammate.

“I'm really going to miss him a lot. He's always been one of my favorite teammates.”

It's certainly refreshing to see this kind of message—a departure from what we've come to expect from the Tkachuk brothers, who have at times used their podcast to indirectly criticize teammates in the past.

Brady, in particular, found himself in the middle of a controversy with goaltender Linus Ullmark, which ultimately contributed to his departure from Ottawa.

However, even though Matthew regrets Bobrovsky's departure, he's still excited about the arrival of his replacement in net (Jacob Markstrom), with whom he played for two seasons in Calgary.

In fact, to acquire him and Angus Crookshank, the Panthers had to part ways with two players close to Matthew—Rodrigues and Boqvist—as well as Ben Steeves.

According to Matthew, Markstrom—with whom he has already spoken several times via video conference—was one of the league's best goalies during the forward's final season in Calgary (2021–22), and he's already preparing to play within the Florida system.

In short, it will be interesting to see what results the Panthers' many offseason moves will bring.


In a Nutshell

– Norway scores first.

– Then England ties the game.

– A major trade in the works?

– Bronze for Canada.

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