A telling stat shows what kind of player Florida Panthers winger Matthew Tkachuk really is
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Jonathan Ouimet
Feb 1, 2026 (10:22)
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Photo credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images
Matthew Tkachuk hit 400 assists fast, but the Florida Panthers still bleed points in the standings and fans feel the squeeze.
On Thursday in St. Louis, Tkachuk picked up his 400th career helper in his 648th NHL game.
That pace matters. Among active American players, only Patrick Kane got to 400 assists in fewer games, at 636.
It’s a clean “wow” stat, and it’s also a reminder that Florida’s offense has been missing its edge for months.
Tkachuk looked like himself right away, finishing with 2-1-3 in a 5-4 loss to the Blues.
Rob Darragh posted the nugget Friday, and Panthers fans instantly latched onto it because it feels like proof.
Proof that when Tkachuk is in, Florida plays with more bite around the net and more chaos on the forecheck.
Tkachuk weaponizes his hands and edge, drags defenders into him, forces a mistake, then slips a pass into the space he just opened for a teammate.
It’s a skill, baiting pressure and punishing it
The problem is, the Panthers have been living in survival mode anyway, sitting 28-23-3 and buried in the Atlantic middle.
Matthew Tkachuk gives the Florida Panthers a pulse
Panthers fans sound worn out right now, because even good news comes with a “too late?” feeling in the standings.
The injury math is the real villain. Florida’s official report lists 291 man-games lost due to injury this season.
Aleksander Barkov and Tomas Nosek alone are listed at 53 games missed each, and that’s a season’s worth of structure gone down the middle.
So yes, Tkachuk’s milestone is legit, but it also underlines how much Florida has asked of its depth just to tread water.
That’s why these “should win” nights keep turning into gut punches. The team isn’t healthy enough to sleepwalk through anyone.
Florida doesn’t need Tkachuk to collect pretty stats. It needs his net-front menace to turn one goal into two, and a tight third period into points.
The next stretch has to look like urgency, not pride. Every dropped point now is one you can’t buy back later.
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FEVRIER 1|1 ANSWERS A telling stat shows what kind of player Florida Panthers winger Matthew Tkachuk really is Does Matthew Tkachuk change the Florida Panthers standings outlook? | ||
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