Matthew Tkachuk, EA Sports NHL 26 cover star: Panthers forward revives tradition last seen with Blackhawks, Jonathan Toews

Matthew Tkachuk was dead serious when he said he envisioned the Florida Panthers becoming an NHL dynasty. Now, as the newly announced cover star of EA Sports NHL 26, he’s done something no one had since then Chicago Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews graced the cover.

The Panthers are the hottest team in the NHL at the moment. Nobody wants to go up against them, yet everyone wishes to experience such success as the Cats. Florida’s dominance would be impossible to explain without Tkachuk. He’s the soul of the organization—the motor that never stops running, or winning, apparently.

Since arriving in Sunrise, Tkachuk has taken his game—and platform—to a whole new level. He’s become a force to be reckoned with across the NHL, and there’s hardly a corner of the league where he isn’t acknowledged.

He’s a problem, indeed

Tkachuk might be disliked by his opponents, but he just wouldn’t have it any other way. The Panthers’ icon is now in the cover of EA Sports NHL 26 for everyone to see and be reminded that the ‘Rat King’ is always watching.

As he graces the cover of hockey’s most popular video game, he revives a tradition not seen since Chicago captain Jonathan Toews did it in 2015. “Matthew Tkachuk is the first EA cover athlete in a decade to hold the Stanley Cup on the cover,” as Bleacher Report Open Ice indicated on its X account.

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Tkachuk’s way

As it couldn’t have been any other way, Tkachuk was quick to rub the accomplishment in everyone’s faces, especially those who criticize his style of play and antics.

“Thank you to the ones who believed, and the ones who didn’t,” Tkachuk stated, per @TKACHUKycheese_ on X, formerly Twitter.

Health concerns

While the summer of 2025 won’t soon be forgotten by Tkachuk and the Panthers, the 2025-26 NHL season is looming on the horizon. On that note, Florida’s face of the franchise is expected to miss a big chunk of the campaign.

“We’re going to find out at some point here, that Tkachuk will miss the start of the season. I think he will be back in time for the 2026 Olympics, obviously that’s a huge deal for him. It was always going to be set up that way,” as reported by insider Elliotte Friedman on the 32 Thoughts Podcast.