Florida Panthers winger Matthew Tkachuk is a leader for the organization, and he firmly believes that mailing it in sends the wrong message about the team's culture.
The Florida Panthers mathematically remain in the playoff race, but the current roster outlook and their position in the standings all but confirm that they will miss the post-season following back-to-back Stanley Cup runs.
There’s been plenty of discussion surrounding the Panthers and what they should do to end their season. Their 2026 draft pick belongs to the Chicago Blackhawks. The selection was sent to the Hawks as part of the Seth Jones trade, but if the Panthers’ selection ends up in the top 10, they’ll keep the pick because the trade involved top-10 protection.
The discourse surrounding the Panthers centers on whether they should tank to improve their draft position and ensure they keep their draft pick, or continue attempting to win games, which is best for the culture going forward.
Following their 3-2 loss to the Minnesota Wild, alternate captain Matthew Tkachuk gave his opinion on the matter.
“If we lose the culture, we’re absolutely screwed,” said the 28-year-old. “If we take the foot off the gas, then it shows them (the new guys) that’s okay, and that’s not okay. So if we lose the culture, we’re screwed, and we’re not going to do that.”
Tkachuk finished Thursday’s game with a goal and an assist in 18:19 of ice time. He’s now up to 10 goals and 25 points in 24 games since returning from his long-term injury. But Tkachuk’s play alone hasn’t been able to help the Panthers find the consistency they’ve longed for all season.
The Panthers are 5-5-0 in their last 10 games, and have won three consecutive games twice since the start of 2026.
Matthew Tkachuk (Bob Frid-Imagn Images)It’s difficult to truly blame the Panthers for their lack of success this season. Prior to the start of the season, they knew Tkachuk would miss multiple months. They then later found out that their captain, Aleksander Barkov, would likely miss the entire regular season after suffering a knee injury during training camp.
As the season continued, they witnessed injuries to almost every player, and no Panthers player has played in all 71 games. Brad Marchand, Sam Reinhart, Seth Jones, Anton Lundell, Eetu Luostarinen, Uvis Balinskis, Niko Mikkola, Jonah Gadjovich, Cole Schwindt, Dmitry Kulikov, and Tomas Nosek have all missed significant time this season. Now Evan Rodrigues’ season is likely over after suffering a broken finger.
Additionally, fatigue has set in, especially for goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky, who is statistically having the worst season of his career. With all this factoring in, it’s far from shocking to see the Panthers in the situation they are in.
The Panthers may not want to tank deliberately, and for the culture, Tkachuk is likely correct in his stance, but landing a top-10 pick will help the Panthers quite a bit.
It can be a player that is a year or two away from joining their lineup, or he becomes a trade chip that they can use at next year’s trade deadline.
Either way, the Panthers players don’t want to see the losses pile up, and as it stands, they sit in 25th place in the NHL, giving them the eighth-best odds of landing the No. 1 overall pick.
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