Panthers will need Tkachuk's passing prowess to continue

Like he does often with Florida, Matthew Tkachuk helped secure USA’s gold medal with his assists

Feb 22, 2026; Milan, Italy; United States players including Brady Tkachuk (7) of the United States celebrate after defeating Canada in the men's ice hockey gold medal game during the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games at Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena. Mandatory Credit: Amber Searls-Imagn Images / Amber Searls-Imagn Images

In six Olympic games at the Winter Olympics in Milano, Italy, Matthew Tkachuk, while serving as one of the United States’ alternate captains, racked up 6 assists.

In USA’s third game against Germany, Tkachuk recorded assists on back-to-back second period goals in the United States 5-1 win.

For the Panthers, the recently-returned Tkachuk has been on an assists parade, notching five assists in 10 regular season games to go along with his three goals.

That’s 11 total assists -- between NHL and Olympics -- since he returned on Jan. 19 after recovering from surgery in August to treat an adductor injury and sports hernia.

Panther coach Paul Maurice has said on multiple occasions that Tkachuk is one of the best at “adapting his game” to fit each situation on the ice, and that’s a big reason he’s been able to set up his teammates for so may scores.

Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

Tkachuk’s six assists in six Olympic games were fourth most of any player in the tournament, behind MVP Canadian Connor McDavid (11), Sweden’s Lucas Raymond (8) and U.S. teammate Quinn Hughes (7).

On Sunday, the Blue Jackets’ Zach Werenski had the key assist to set up Jack Hughes for the winning goal for the USA’s third ever gold medal in men’s hockey.

The Panthers, however, were well-represented at the winter Olympics. They sent an NHL-high 10 players and five additional members of the organization to Milan, including Tkachuk.

The next-closest Panther to Tkachuk in assists at the Olympics was Eetu Luostarinen (4). The following Panthers had only one assist in Milan: Sam Reinhart, Brad Marchand, Sam Bennett, Anton Lundell, Uvis Balinskis, and Gustav Forsling.

In 52 games in the 2024-25 season, Tkachuk totaled 35 assists and 22 goals. In 80 games the season before, he had 62 assists and 26 goals. The year before, 69-40, and the year before that, 62-42. In 2022-23, when he played 79 games, he totaled 69 assists -- an average of close to an assist per game.

The Panthers will certainly need Tkachuk at his best to make a playoff run for the remainder of the season. Tkachuk had five assists in his first 10 games back from his extended absence. At that pace, he’ll add 12.5 assists in the final 25 games. The Panthers, eight points behind the Bruins for the last wild card spot and with several teams to jump, will need every one of those Tkachuk assists.

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