Tkachuk talks impact of 1st season with Panthers, Cup Final in Q&A

SUNRISE, Fla. -- Matthew Tkachuk has gone from rubbing elbows with celebrities like NBA legend Shaquille O'Neal and PGA Championship winner Brooks Koepka, to preparing to face the Vegas Golden Knights in the 2023 Stanley Cup Final.

For what it's worth, the Florida Panthers forward is ready for the challenge.

"Maybe some teams feel the heat in these high-pressure situations, but we don't really feel that way," Tkachuk said. "We're having fun.

"No one expected us to be here."

Maybe not. But, indeed, here they are, these resilient Panthers, just four wins away from winning their first Stanley Cup title. That quest begins Saturday, with Game 1 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas (8 p.m. ET; TNT, TBS, truTV, CBC, SN, TVAS).

RELATED: [Complete Stanley Cup Final coverage]

Given his heroics during the regular season and the first three rounds of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, it seems safe to say the Panthers wouldn't be at this point without Tkachuk.

In his first season with the Panthers, he 109 points (40 goals, 69 assists) in 79 games during the regular season and was named a Hart Trophy finalist as NHL most valuable player. He's followed that up with a magical playoff run that's featured four game-winning goals, three in overtime, and is second in the playoffs with 21 points (nine goals, 12 assists) in 16 games.

In the process, he's done a hit on the "NBA on TNT" pregame show with Shaq and Charles Barkley, chatted up Panthers superfan Koepka at FLA Live Arena, and helped the community embrace a hockey team that has not been to the Final since 1996.

As the Panthers prepare for the Final, Tkachuk sat down with NHL.com for a chat ranging from the Golden Knights, his role as a playoff hero, and hockey life in Florida.

First off, you are quite familiar with the Golden Knights, your Pacific Division rivals during your time with the Calgary Flames. What stands out to you about Vegas?

"I think with Vegas, it's always been a tough place to play. And they have [big defensemen] who are great at things like blocking shots and using their sticks to break up plays. And they have some high-end forwards with great speed and can beat you off the rush."

Twelve months ago, you were with the Calgary Flames and dealing with the disappointment of being eliminated in five games by the Edmonton Oilers, your bitter Battle of Alberta rivals, in the Western Conference Second Round. Two months later, on July 22, you were traded to the Panthers in a blockbuster deal for forward Jonathan Huberdeau, defenseman MacKenzie Weegar, forward prospect Cole Schwindt and a first-round pick in the 2025 NHL Draft. Now, here you are, on the verge of playing in your first Final. What has this year-long journey been like?

"It's been crazy. It's been a great change lifestyle-wise and living-wise. I so enjoyed my time in Calgary, and we obviously had a great group of guys up there. So many great memories. But coming down here, it's really been truly amazing. I wouldn't say I'm truly surprised about that or how it's been on the ice, but it's just been such a great fit. I knew it was going to be great, but I didn't think it was going to be as great as it is now. It's been awesome. Just being on a new team. Helping to grow the game here. A new team, a new environment, a great city to live and play in. It's all been awesome."

You talk about helping grow the game here, and part of that is helping new fans to be exposed to the team. It seems to be working, given how fans were chanting your name when you Video: The NHL Tonight crew discusses Matthew Tkachuk at Kaseya Center in downtown Miami before Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Final between the Miami Heat and Boston Celtics on Saturday. What was going through your mind when you heard that, let alone the chance to hang out with such NBA royalty?

"Yeah, it went surprisingly well, as you saw. Surprisingly, there were tons -- ok, I shouldn't say surprisingly -- but there were tons of people behind the set just watching us talk. And they were all saying, 'Go Panthers.' And, like you said, all that stuff, so that was insane. And I wasn't expecting anything like that. And then when they showed me on the Jumbotron at the game, the tons of people by me, well, just seeing the recognition our team is getting in myself and everything, it's just awesome to be part of."

You've almost become an unofficial ambassador for the team. We saw that at NHL All-Star weekend here in early February when you were here, there and everywhere around town. Is that a role you purposely looked to fill?

"No. Definitely didn't purposely do that. I've never purposely thought about that. But I just think when you're on a winning team, you gather a lot more people watching you. Obviously we've got a great fan base already, but you're attracting more and more people to watch games, and to come to games, and support, and to know who we are off the ice, and everything. So I think that's a cool thing."

At the same time, do you understand you've become the face of this franchise, even if that wasn't your intention?

"Yeah, I don't really think about it like that. I just think I'm lucky to be in the spots that I am, like doing the thing the other night with Shaq and Charles. It was just so cool and so fun. Who would have ever thought I'd be in a spot like that? The last two months, everything's kind of just gone so well and it's been so much fun on the ice and off. Just riding the wave right now. And there's still another step to go."

Could you have ever dreamed it would have ever worked out like this?

"I knew it was going to be great and maybe a great change, but I don't think anybody would have expected it to go quite like this and how it's gone. You know, I think we all know this is always the dream to be in this position playing for a Stanley Cup, but the way we got here was definitely not scripted, that's for sure, making the playoffs by one point and being the eighth seed in the East.

You've been a difference maker in Florida's road to get here. Your brother Brady, who's the captain of the Ottawa Senators and spent time in Koepka's suite in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Final against the Carolina Hurricanes, said on a Toronto radio station Friday that your performance inspires him to be more of that guy who influences games. How have you been able to come through in these clutch moments time and time again, including scoring the series winner against Carolina with 4.9 seconds left in Game 4?

"I just think I've been really lucky in that … well, with the people around me and the positions I've been in, being in the right spot but not doing all the hard work. It's the guys around me that have been doing the hard work that people don't see. They might just see my end of it because I'm in the right spot. Again, I'm lucky. We've gone on a great run here. And we're going to try to continue it the best we can and have fun. I'm just trying to do my part."

Final question. To your point, how much does your confidence swell when you're on a run like this, with four game-winners, including three in OT? Do you embrace what is known in sports as "The Guy," almost like the basketball player who at crunch time always wants the ball?

"I just think everyone wants to be "That Guy." I definitely do, for sure. I just think the calmness we have is translated into those big moments for our whole team. I think that's what's really made us successful, is being so calm and such. Like I said, we don't seem to feel the pressure in those clutch moments like other teams might."