The Florida Panthers didn’t need long to find out what Matthew and Brady Tkachuk can do when they’re rolling together. The bigger question was how long it would take before Paul Maurice finally trusted the obvious.
At the start of the season, Maurice was hesitant to throw the brothers on the same line. But with the way they’ve been filling the stat sheet lately, it’s hard to imagine it taking much longer in hindsight.
Matthew Tkachuk has opened the year at a blistering pace, putting up four goals and 20 points in his first 13 games. That works out to 1.45 points per game, the best opening stretch of his career.
“One thing about Matthew,’’ Maurice said, “is he’s better this year than he’s ever been.”
That wasn’t just coachspeak. Matthew backed it up Tuesday night in Winnipeg, where he piled up four assists in Florida’s 5-1 win and recorded his third multi-point game of the month.
He’s been effective at 5-on-5, dangerous on the power play, and a major reason the Panthers have been controlling play the way they have. He’s helping Florida keep shifts alive in the offensive zone and getting pucks toward the net while they’re there.
Maurice pointed to Tkachuk’s offseason as a major reason for the jump. After the Panthers’ deep playoff runs from 2023-25, Tkachuk either had a short summer or, in 2023 and 2025, had to spend much of it recovering from injury or surgery.
This time, he was able to train.
He spent a lot of the offseason doing Pilates to build core strength and working on his speed, and Maurice believes that work has shown up on the ice.
“He’s faster than he’s ever been,’’ Maurice said. “So he’s improved.
It’s also the first summer in four where he actually got to train, because he was injured on the two others. He rehabbed, but he didn’t train.
“He put a lot of good work in this summer; a little quicker. And in hockey, we’re talking about five or six inches.
If you can create that, if you can find it, you can make that. These guys can make that play, and that’s what we’re seeing from him.”
Brady Tkachuk took a little longer to get going after arriving in Florida’s lineup, but once he found his footing, the production came fast. He went scoreless in his first five games before finally breaking through with an assist on a Sam Reinhart goal in a matinee loss in Buffalo.
The next night in Columbus, he erupted for the first of back-to-back hat tricks. Six goals in two games changed the conversation in a hurry.
That surge earned him NHL First Star of the Week honors after he finished with six goals and 10 points over four games. Since the Buffalo game, Brady has added eight goals and six assists.
The brothers have combined for 12 goals and 35 points, a number that speaks for itself.
“I’m just having a blast,” Brady told Katie Engleson Tuesday night after scoring a goal and adding two assists, his fourth multi-point game in the past seven. “This has just been so much fun being down here. Just a great group, having the time of my life.”
The Panthers and Jets meet again Friday night at Amerant Bank Arena in Sunrise. Florida leads the season series 1-0 after Tuesday’s win in Winnipeg. Last season, the teams split their two meetings.
Friday’s game is set for 7 p.m. and will be available on Panthers+ and ESPN+. Radio coverage is on WQAM, WBZT 1230-AM in Palm Beach, WCTH 100.3-FM in the Florida Keys, and SiriusXM, with Panthers Radio Streaming also on SiriusXM and the NHL App.
After Winnipeg, Florida returns home Monday to face the Detroit Red Wings at 7 p.m.
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