Matthew Tkachuk Makes Bold Claim on Why Players Want to Play in Florida
Photo credit: NHL.com
Panthers assistant captain Matthew Tkachuk is revealing why the Panthers were able to re-sign all of their key UFAs, saying that Florida is a great place to live and play in.
The Florida Panthers are not only the back to back Stanley Cup champions, but they shocked fans everywhere when they managed to re-sign all of their key pending UFAs.
Brad Marchand, Aaron Ekblad, and Sam Bennett all re-signed multi-year contracts with the Panthers, meaning that their core of players is all intact for the next several years and keeping their championship window wide open.
Assistant captain Matthew Tkachuk, who was acquired just over 3 full calendar years ago and has helped the Panthers to 3 straight appearances in the SCF, explained that the culture the Panthers have built is too good for players to want to leave.
When Marchand first got traded [at the deadline this spring], I would've thought there was never a chance that we were going to be able to keep everybody. But as time goes on and you have success and you get to know guys' wants and desires for the rest of their career, you can start connecting the dots. People just don't want to leave Florida when they come [here]. We have too good of a thing going right now, and everybody wants to be a part of it.
The Stanley Cup may not leave Florida any time soon if the Panthers can keep their train rolling.
Matthew Tkachuk could miss the 1st several months of the year
Tkachuk played through numerous injuries during the postseason, including a sports hernia as well as a torn adductor.
He's still mulling surgery, and could likely miss the 1st several months of the new year if he goes under the knife.
The good news for the Panthers is that their depth is such that they should be able to continue chugging along until Tkachuk's eventual return.
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