Matthew Tkachuk’s comments on Team Canada’s decision points straight at Tampa Bay
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Jonathan Ouimet
Feb 11, 2026 (1:02 PM)
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![Feb 13, 2025; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; [Imagn Images direct customers only] Team USA forward Matthew Tkachuk (19) celebrates with Team USA forward Auston Matthews (34) his goal against Team Finland in the third period during a 4 Nations Face-Off ice hockey game at Bell Centre](https://i.marqueur.com/habsetlnh/i/photo/641284.webp "Feb 13, 2025; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; [Imagn Images direct customers only] Team USA forward Matthew Tkachuk (19) celebrates with Team USA forward Auston Matthews (34) his goal against Team Finland in the third period during a 4 Nations Face-Off ice hockey game at Bell Centre")
Photo credit: David Kirouac-Imagn Images
Matthew Tkachuk labeled Sam Bennett an upgrade for Team Canada, and the Olympic roster swap suddenly feels personal for Florida Panthers and Tampa Bay Lightning fans.
This started with bad news for Anthony Cirelli, who was ruled out of Milano Cortina because of injury.
Canada didn’t hesitate. They plugged Bennett into the group, and it was framed as a straight replacement, not a long audition.
Then Tkachuk took the mic and poured gasoline on it, basically saying Canada got better.
It’s classic Tkachuk, but it also tells you what Bennett looks like from the inside of that Panthers room.
Here’s the post that carried the quote around the hockey world.
Bennett brings playoff muscle that translates anywhere, because it’s built on puck touches in traffic and finishing shifts with authority.
This season, Bennett sits at 19-23-42, and those points come with the same edge that makes him miserable to play against.
Cirelli’s value is different. He’s a pace center who can check, kill plays early, and still give you offense, sitting at 15-20-35.
So why call Bennett an upgrade, even with Cirelli’s two-way reputation?
Because international games get tight fast, and Bennett thrives when the game turns into board battles, rebounds, and one ugly goal deciding everything.
Sam Bennett gives Team Canada a nasty identity
Panthers fans will grin at this, because Bennett is their kind of chaos, and now the rest of Canada gets to see it up close.
On a loaded roster, Bennett doesn’t need to be the driver. He can be the finisher who turns a harmless cycle into a crease scramble.
He also gives Canada a center option who can slide anywhere, take heat off stars, and still win a shift with one hard play.
That matters in a short tournament, where chemistry isn’t built in months, it’s built in two shifts that work.
The Lightning side will hate the optics, because losing Cirelli already hurts, and now a rival’s guy gets praised like a solution.
If Bennett starts fast, the story writes itself. Canada didn’t just survive an injury, it found a different gear.
If it doesn’t click, the quote will boomerang, and everyone will remember who said it first.
Either way, this swap adds edge to Team Canada’s identity, and it sets the tone for a tournament that won’t forgive soft minutes.
Also read on Sunrise Hockey Insider :
Team Canada Reveals Starting Goalie for First Men’s Hockey Game at Milano Cortina
Team Canada Reveals Starting Goalie for First Men’s Hockey Game at Milano Cortina