FORT LAUDERDALE — Matthew Tkachuk had yet to play a game with brother, Brady, as members of the Florida Panthers. And, still, he could not contain his excitement.
"I mean, let's face it," Matthew said the day before the Panthers opened training camp. "How often do people get to play in the NHL with their brother? Like that in itself is making this already — and we haven't even played a game yet — just the best experience ever."
Four days later, the Panthers played a game, its first in the preseason. And that experience got even better.
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Brady Tkachuk's first preseason goal as a member of the Panthers came on a pass from his brother on the power play. The puck was deflected to Matthew near the goal line, he sent
the puck across the ice to Brady, who snapped a wrist shot past the screened Carolina goalie.
The brothers exchanged a high five.
Brady finished that 6-3 win with a "Gordie Howe hat trick:" At least one goal (he had two), an assist and a five-minute major for fighting. Brady stepped in when he took offense to a hit on captain Aleksander Barkov.
And it continued in preseason game No. 2 with Brady scoring a goal and an assist in a 3-2 loss at Carolina.
Two games and Brady figured in five of the Panthers' eight goals.
"We have a lot of those guys on our team that you played against at some point in your career and you think … I hate to play against him, I would love to play with him. And he's one of the guys," Barkov said about Brady.
Panthers trade four draft picks (three firsts) for Brady Tkachuk
That became a reality when Panthers GM Bill Zito pulled off one the most impactful trades of the offseason, sending three first-round picks and a second-rounder to Ottawa for Brady, a three-time All-Star who has 463 career points.
Florida was in the unfamiliar position of not making the playoffs last season after three consecutive Stanley Cup Final appearances and two straight titles. The Panthers open the season Tuesday, Sept. 29 at the Carolina Hurricanes, the defending Stanley Cup champions.
The deal came on Father's Day, which was important considering the proud dad who now gets to watch his sons play together in the NHL is Keith Tkachuk …
Hockey Hall of Famer Keith Tkachuk.
The family celebrating the union of Matthew and Brady was secondary a day later when Keith learned he was elected to the Hall of Fame. Keith's 538 regular-season goals is 35th all time and 72 more than his sons have scored combined.
Keith played 18 years. Matthew (10) and Brady (8) have played 18 years combined. Matthew, 28, is 21 months older than Brady.
"It still doesn't feel real," Brady said at the start of training camp. "It still feels like living a dream."
Panthers coach Paul Maurice is responsible for sorting out his top two lines to get the best out of players like the Tkachuk Brothers, Barkov, Sam Reinhart and Sam Bennett. And the two-time Stanley Cup winning coach took one look at the candidates and knew what he was not going to do.
"I don't want to give everybody what they want with the Tkachuk Brothers together and Sam Bennett in the middle," he said.
Why?
"They're going to be in jail before the puck drops. I'm going to wait on that one."
Brady and Matthew are top seven in NHL penalty minutes over the last 10 years, with Brady third while having played eight years. They were in the top four in penalties and penalty minutes in 2022-23.
And if you are wondering … No, Brady and Matthew never have fought each other, at least on the ice during an NHL game. Brady did call out Bennett during the U.S.-Canada game at the 4 Nations Face-Off in 2025 and Bennett gladly hopped the boards. The fight lasted until Brady took down Bennett.
Maurice's instinct to put Brady on the first line with center Barkov and Reinhart has worked well so far. Maurice liked the idea of another big man (Brady is 6-foot-4) skating with the 6-3 Barkov.
"There's a lot of wear and tear," Maurice said. "You can spread that out over another guy, another big man."
Brady has scored at least 29 goals four of the last five seasons. Reinhart has scored at least 29 goals in each of his five seasons with the Panthers. Barkov is the Panthers' all-time leading scorer with 286, despite missing last year with a right knee injury.
"Every time we've skated together, even before camp, it's just every time they touch the puck, something special happens," Brady said. "So to have that opportunity, just going to try to bring my element, bring my game, and help out in any way possible."
Matthew, Brady Tkachuk a 'constant show' in locker room
Matthew and Brady were born in Scottsdale, Arizona, when their dad played for the Phoenix Coyotes. They grew up primarily outside of St. Louis, where Keith played more than half of his career.
Brady spent his entire NHL career with Ottawa before the trade. Matthew is entering his fifth season with Florida after starting his career in Calgary.
Mathew helped his brother get established. They live close to each other in Fort Lauderdale, they attended a University of Miami football game together and this year started the Tkachuk Cup youth hockey tournament at the Panthers’ practice facility.
Defenseman Aaron Ekblad said the two together are like a "constant show" in the locker room.
"It's like we've got our own podcast in the room as well," Ekblad said.
The two power forwards are similar physically; and play a throwback, physical style comparable to their dad. But they have forged their own identities.
"You know our goal has always been … we don't want to just be attached to the hip, just be us," Brady said. "You know we're still our own individual people."
Still, Brady calls Matthew his "biggest motivator" whether it's working out during the offseason or on the golf course.
"It'll be nice that we're going to be on the same side," he said.
Their competitive, complementary styles have been on display together the last two years at the 4 Nations and the 2026 Winter Olympics, where they were part of the gold medal winning Team USA.
"That's some of the best hockey I've seen him play," Matthew said. "When the lights are bright, the stage is big, he performs at his best."
Brady's three goals at 4 Nations tied for team high, and three goals at the Olympics was tied for second most. Matthew led Team USA with six assists at the Olympics.
Now, Matthew believes a motivated Brady who has watched the Panthers win two Stanley Cups from afar — Brady was in South Florida to support his brother during the back-to-back titles — is a perfect fit for this team's relentless, forechecking style.
"It's not like a really hard system," Matthew said. "You get the puck in, you finish your check, you go to the net, you shoot, and create havoc and try to score.
"That's exactly the type of player Brady is. That's when he's at his best playing simple like that."
Tom D'Angelo is a senior sports columnist and reporter for The Palm Beach Post. He can be reached at tdangelo@pbpost.com.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Brothers In Arms: Matthew, Brady Tkachuk teammates for Florida Panthers
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