Matthew Tkachuk spent four seasons alongside Sergei Bobrovsky during the most successful stretch in Florida Panthers history.
Bobrovsky signed with the Panthers as a free agent in 2019. Tkachuk arrived in Florida two years later via trade. The pair helped Florida reach three consecutive Stanley Cup finals and win back-to-back championships in 2024 and 2025.
This summer, after becoming one of the central figures in the Panthers' consecutive championship runs, Bobrovsky entered free agency once again.
This time, however, Florida decided against signing him and instead traded for netminder Jacob Markstrom, sending centers Evan Rodrigues and Jesper Boqvist to the New Jersey Devils.
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Bobrovsky then signed a three-year, $21 million contract with the Atlantic Division rival Toronto Maple Leafs.
On Thursday, Tkachuk addressed Bobrovsky's departure on his "Wingmen" podcast along with his brother and new Panthers teammate, Brady Tkachuk.
“The backbone, we wouldn't have won without him,” Tkachuk said of Bobrovsky. “He was the guy, the guy that you relied on, the guy that didn't matter how good or if you're playing bad, you knew he was going to be great.
“He kept us in so many games that we didn’t deserve to be in, and he won us a lot of games that we didn’t deserve to win. Just an outstanding teammate. … I’m going to miss him a ton, just an unbelievable guy, one of my favorite teammates, ever.”
Added Tkachuk: “Obviously, all of our lives have changed forever since the Cups. Our lives would have been the exact same [because] we wouldn’t have won without him.”
Those recent comments followed an even stronger endorsement Tkachuk made in April, when he publicly urged Florida to re-sign the goalie less than three months before free agency opened on July 1.
“We cannot lose him,” Tkachuk said, per the Miami Herald. “He’s our guy. He is going to get us back to where we want to be. [He is] the most important piece of our team the past couple of years with what he has done. It’s the character, the work ethic, the drive. He sets the tone on and off the ice. I don’t care what age he is, he is the backbone of this team. If we’re going to get back there, we’re going to need him.’’
Florida ultimately moved in another direction, while Bobrovsky joined a conference rival the Panthers eliminated from the playoffs in both 2023 and 2025.
