Brady Tkachuk’s first months with the Florida Panthers have delivered a little of everything: a family reunion, a scoring drought, consecutive hat tricks, and an emotional return to Ottawa.
Now, with Brady and Matthew producing together, Florida is beginning to see what the brothers can bring beyond the excitement surrounding their reunion.
A new home in Florida
On June 21, the Florida Panthers acquired Brady Tkachuk from the Ottawa Senators, uniting the siblings on Father’s Day. Brady left the Senators after eight seasons, including his time as captain.
His summer preparations included training with UFC champions Khabib Nurmagomedov and Islam Makhachev. So, expectations were very high right off the bat.
Later, back in South Florida, the brothers hosted the inaugural Tkachuk Cup youth hockey tournament before entering their first NHL training camp together.
Their family reunion also created many online memes, including one with the now-famous Paul Maurice’s line. When asked about putting both brothers on a line with Sam Bennett (or Sam Reinhart), the Panthers head coach joked: “They’ll be in jail before the puck drops.”
From a strong debut to a scoring drought
Brady immediately showed his range in Florida’s 6-3 preseason victory over the the Hurricanes, the reigning champions from North Carolina. He scored twice, added an assist, and fought after standing up for captain Aleksander Barkov.
But the regular season demanded more patience. Brady went his first six games without scoring a goal, drawing criticism as the Cats struggled to generate offense.
Eventually, Paul Maurice assembled the line he had joked about, placing Bennett between the brothers. The trio gradually found its rhythm as Brady learned where Florida’s pressure-heavy attack would capitalize. Then, the goals arrived in bunches.
Brady recorded a natural hat trick and an assist in a 7-3 victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets. Matthew assisted on all three goals and finished with five assists. In his next game, Brady scored every Florida goal in a 3-2 overtime win over the Vancouver Canucks.
So, after six games without scoring, he had six goals (two hat tricks) in two games.
A hostile Ottawa homecoming
But Brady faced a different challenge when he returned to Ottawa on Oct. 21.
Fans greeted their former captain with boos, chants, and hostile signs. The Senators later confirmed that spectators threw 37 Brady Tkachuk jerseys onto the ice.
He answered with a power-play goal, but the Florida Panthers lost 5-1. Brady also fought former teammate Ridly Greig, then kept his postgame comments rational and focused on the defeat.
The evening showed how much his hockey life had changed in four months. Ottawa has no love left for him.
The brothers build momentum
More recently, the Tkachuk’s helped their team defeat the Winnipeg Jets 5-1. Brady contributed a goal and two assists, while Matthew recorded four assists. That lifted Brady to eight goals and seven assists for 15 points through 13 games. Meanwhile, Matthew reached 20 points with four goals and 16 assists.
Moreover, their Wingmen podcast account also featured their recent surge. Since October 12, Matthew ranked second in NHL scoring with 16 points and Brady third with 15, behind Connor McDavid’s 21. Isn’t that amazing?!
But for the Panthers, the next step is consistency. They are currently sixth in the East. Bennett and the Tkachuk’s can sustain pressure, win battles around the net, and turn their chemistry into offense. But managing their emotions is another challenge. Florida leads the NHL with 187 penalty minutes in 13 games.
Ultimately, Maurice’s preseason joke has become a productive experiment. But the Panthers now need that combination to keep delivering the results they want.