Unnumbered Thoughts: Aleksander Barkov is the soul of the Florida Panthers

Matthew Tkachuk is the face and the voice of the Florida Panthers. 

He’s the on-ice emotional compass and foundation of energy for an entire franchise. When Tkachuk arrived in a blockbuster trade before the 2022-23 season, everything started to change for the Panthers. 

From a branding perspective, Tkachuk is front and centre. He’s in national commercials, one of the most frequent players highlighted on national television, and is willing to speak his mind in a very un-hockey-like way. 

Tkachuk handles himself more like an NBA player, he understands team and self promotion at the same time. And he’s proven in the past 18 months that you don’t need to play for an Original Six team to do that. 

When Detroit Red Wings coach Derek Lalonde was asked about Tkachuk on Thursday, he brought up the clip