What makes Matthew Tkachuk special in Florida, Paul Maurice explains
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Jonathan Ouimet
Dec 29, 2025 (8:56)
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Photo credit: www.nhl.com
Matthew Tkachuk skating at Florida Panthers practice lit up fans, Paul Maurice, and the Winter Classic buzz all at once.
Sunday morning was the first time this season Tkachuk jumped into a full team environment, even if it was still controlled. Maurice sounded relieved more than anything, because this has been a long road back from August surgery.
''As much as we like the spectacle of it and would love him to be part of it and it'd be great for the game to see him out there, the Florida Panthers need him healthy and need him for the rest of the year,» Maurice said.
The coach kept coming back to the same idea, the skill is still there.
''Tkachuk's hands haven't changed, and after six months without a real practice, he still moved like himself.''
That matters because Saturday night against Tampa Bay was pure rivalry mayhem, whistles, scrums, and special teams stacked on top of each other. That is exactly the type of game where Florida misses Tkachuk's net-front nerve and his ability to turn chaos into something useful.
Paul Maurice sees Matthew Tkachuk as Florida's heartbeat
As a fan, you don't just miss the points, you miss the attitude that makes the building feel alive.
Maurice is clearly protecting the bigger picture, even while he smiles talking about Tkachuk. He said the spectacle is fun, but the Florida Panthers need him healthy for the rest of the year, and the player and doctors will decide when it is time.
That patience is earned, because Maurice also reminded everyone what Tkachuk did last spring. He pointed to Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final as Tkachuk's best game for Florida.
''It'll be nice to see him healthy. The best game he's possibly played for us last year was Game 6 [of the Stanley Cup Final against the Edmonton Oilers] when he wasn't healthy. He just willed himself. He can do a lot of things for us.'' Paul Maurice
On the ice, the effect is obvious when he is right. Entries get heavier, defenders get uncomfortable, and the power play has a real anchor around the crease instead of a drive-by screen.
Off the ice, teammates walk a little taller when he is around. Tkachuk's whole thing is engagement, talking, competing, dragging you into the moment, and Maurice basically admitted you can feel that spark in the group immediately.
For the fans, it's the edge that hits home. He chirps, he absorbs hits, he answers back, and he still finds a slick play right after, which is why his return to practice felt like the season exhaled.
Now the next milestone is simple, more practices, more checks from the medical side, and eventually a game where No. 19 is back making opponents life miserable again.