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.
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.
