Matthew Tkachuk makes a BOLD statement about one of his teammates

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Ryan
July 26, 2022 (2:19 PM)

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The new member of the Florida Panthers, Matthew Tkachuk, is saying all the right things with his new team. After being traded for fan favourite Jonathan Huberdeau, who broke franchise records last year, he has big shoes to fill and so far to this point, he has not disappointed. He has already stated his hatred for the Tampa Bay Lightning and now he is highly talking up one of his new teammates.

Since he entered the league, Aleksander Barkov has been one of the most skilled, but also most underrated players in the NHL. He has great hands and can put up incredible stats, but he is also a very reliable two-way center.

Barkov who won the Selke in the 2020-21 season and the Lady Byng in 2018-19, was on pace for over 100 points this year, but had to settle with 88 points in 67 games due to injury.

Tkachuk, who is projected to play on a line with Barkov had this to say about his star teammate:

We have a top 3 player (Barkov) in the NHL right now, and that's a fact.

Whether this is just Tkachuk trying to ''suck up'' to his new teammates or not, it is very high praise to be called a top 3 player in the league.

People once considered Jonathan Toews a top 5 player in the league because of his great defensive play, and Barkov plays a similar game defensively but has a higher offensive upside, so if you factor in a complete game, it's not far-fetched to consider this about Barkov.