Weeks after hoisting his second straight Stanley Cup, Florida Panthers forward Matthew Tkachuk didn’t hold back when asked about the Edmonton Oilers’ back-to-back Final defeats.
In an interview at Edgewood Tahoe during the 2025 American Century Championship, Tkachuk dismissed the idea of sympathy for Connor McDavid’s squad, pointing out that no one felt bad for Florida when they lost in the Stanley Cup Final in 2023.
Panthers’ Matthew Tkachuk Gets Blunt on Oilers’ Stanley Cup Losses
“I’ve gotten a few Western Canadians today like ‘Can’t you just let Edmonton get it? Do you feel bad for them?’” Tkachuk said.
“I’m like you don’t feel bad for anybody. We lost to Vegas a few years ago and nobody gave a sh*t.”
Tkachuk’s comments come after the Panthers clinched their second title, beating the Oilers in six games in the 2025 Stanley Cup Final, just one year after needing seven to do the same. For Tkachuk, it’s about seizing the moment, not handing out sympathy.
The rivalry with Edmonton may be intense on the ice, but for Tkachuk, the story is also about how far the Panthers have come.
In the same interview, he emphasized just how much the South Florida fanbase has embraced hockey and him personally since he arrived via trade from the Calgary Flames.
“What I’ve seen from my time in South Florida is they care a ton about hockey,” Tkachuk said. “More than I could’ve ever pictured. It’s been the time of my life.”
The 27-year-old winger has become the face of the franchise and a key voice in the locker room. He also made it clear that he doesn’t want to waste the team’s championship window.
“It would crush me to have this good of a team that we have for the next however many years, and waste the opportunity,” Tkachuk said. “That’s kind of the motivation now. We have such a good team and such great people that you just want to keep winning it for them,” he said.
Matthew Tkachuk Reflects on Panthers’ Meteoric Rise
Tkachuk’s presence has been instrumental in establishing the Panthers as perennial contenders. Since his arrival, the team has built a winning culture, one that has helped them retain key players like Sam Bennett, Aaron Ekblad, and Brad Marchand, all on team-friendly deals despite salary cap constraints.
Tkachuk spoke positively about Marchand’s addition. “I loved it. I knew that was a guy, with Seth Jones, who could put us over the hump. Now they’re here for the next five years… Marchy, six. Two culture guys and glue guys we’re lucky to have.”
Tkachuk acknowledged that the two Finals against Edmonton brought out the worst in both teams with intense trash talk, reported by insiders as some of the “nastiest” ever seen in a Cup Final.
With two championships in hand and a stacked roster returning, Tkachuk and the Panthers aren’t planning to slow down. “Hopefully we’re not stopping at two,” he said.
Tkachuk is currently in the fourth year of his eight-year, $76 million contract. If his words are any indication, Florida fans may have more banners to celebrate in the years ahead.
