Coach Paul Maurice Snubs Matthew Tkachuk’s Former Team for This Reason

Matthew Tkachuk’s move from the Calgary Flames to the Florida Panthers in July 2022 was a big moment in his NHL journey. So, after letting the Flames know he wasn’t interested in a long-term deal, Tkachuk got traded to the Panthers. In return, the Flames received Jonathan Huberdeau, MacKenzie Weegar, prospect Cole Schwindt, and a conditional first-round pick for 2025. He went ahead and signed an eight-year contract worth $76 million with Florida.

Tkachuk really stepped up as a key player for the Panthers, racking up 109 points in his first season and helping the team make it to the Stanley Cup Final two years in a row. So, after clinching the Stanley Cup with the Panthers in 2024, he’s definitely looking to do it all over again this year.

Before the Panthers’ Game 2 against the Toronto Maple Leafs in the playoffs, coach Paul Maurice made a comment about Matthew Tkachuk, saying, “Well, he’s [Sam Bennett’s] effective all year long. An awful lot of speed in the middle of the ice. And that’s really the, the connection between him and Matthew Tkachuk is that he brings that speed. Matthew has the hands to find them into holes. So, that, that duo really is, is where certainly Matthew was productive in his time in Calgary, but in terms of being able to kind of give our team different looks.”

Maurice seems to brush off Tkachuk’s past with his old team, while he’s really highlighting the great connection the forward has with Sam Bennett now. The Panthers coach points out that Bennett’s speed in the middle of the ice really creates space, which lets Tkachuk — who’s got those elite hands — take better advantage of the opponents’ defenses.

So, when Maurice talks about Tkachuk being really productive in Calgary, he also highlights how the Tkachuk-Bennett duo is giving the Panthers a fresh vibe. It seems like Tkachuk’s potential is really starting to shine in this more exciting setup with Florida. So, how did Tkachuk’s teammates respond to the recent situation with Sam Bennett?

Matthew Tkachuk’s teammate gets honest

Sam Bennett from the Florida Panthers shared his thoughts on the situation with Toronto Maple Leafs goalie Anthony Stolarz, who was hospitalized after an incident in Game 1 of their second-round playoff series, stating, “I heard that he went to the hospital last night, and he’s a good friend of mine. I reached out to him. He responded. Never want to see an injury like that. From my point of view, I’m just taking the puck the net. I didn’t even know that we made contact until after.”

They used to be teammates, and even after that incident in Game 1 where Stolarz had to leave midway through the second period because of a head injury from an elbow by the Panthers forward, Bennett was all about showing concern. In a similar vein, Panthers defenseman Seth Jones said, “I don’t think so. You know, we hope Stolarz is okay. Obviously, it was kind of a bang-bang play in front of the net. We heard about his condition, so we hope he’s all good.”

The star defenseman acknowledged how physical Game 1 was and didn’t shy away from the fact that Game 2 will likely follow suit, saying, “And I think tomorrow is going to be a physical game regardless. Both teams are playing very physical. Both teams are forechecking, finishing their hits, taking pucks to the net, and things happen. So, you know, we don’t expect it to be any more physical than it would have been already.” This really feels like the vibe of playoff hockey. Things are definitely getting intense, and we’ll just have to wait and see how physical these players get on the ice.

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