Florida Panthers star Matthew Tkachuk has an unusual request for the NHL

A tweet from George Richards lit up South Florida chatter, because it mixes two loud worlds, Panthers hockey and Hurricanes football. The gist is simple, if Miami keeps winning, a schedule conflict is coming.

Tkachuk has leaned into college football in a way most NHL stars never bother with. Richards wrote that Tkachuk picked up the habit through Ole Miss, yet he is now openly riding with Miami in the Fiesta Bowl semifinal on Thursday.

The timing is the funny part, because Tkachuk is also close to playing again. He had surgery to repair a sports hernia and torn adductor, skated with the team for the first time this season, and is traveling as he nears his debut.

That matters for the Panthers, because Tkachuk is not some cameo winger. Last season he posted 57 points in 52 games, and his $9.5 million cap hit shapes every roster move the closer he gets.

Here's the potential clash, the College Football Playoff title game is set for Jan. 19 at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens. Florida is scheduled to host the San Jose Sharks that same night, and Tkachuk said a start time change would be warranted if it collides.

It's an uncommon ask, because puck drops are built around TV windows, travel, and arena ops months in advance. Players have preferences, but you rarely hear one lobby the league so publicly, just to watch football.

Cats fans will laugh at the audacity, but they also know Tkachuk plays best when he's fully wired in. When he's healthy, his forecheck pressure and net front chaos turn clean breakouts into greasy shifts.

Florida needs that edge, because the standings are tight and every two point swing matters. HockeyDB has the Panthers at 22-16 with 47 points, and those are exactly the games where a bully winger can steal momentum.

Tkachuk also changes the tactics, especially on entries and the power play. He gives the Panthers a real inside option, opening the slot for quick touch passes instead of living on the outside.

If the NHL humorously gives him his Hurricanes viewing window or not, the bigger deal is his clearance. The next milestone is seeing No. 19 take a real shift again, then letting the football remote fight it out later.