Johnny Gaudreau and Matthew Tkachuk were the driving forces on the top line for the Calgary Flames last season. Gaudreau was tied for second in the NHL with 115 points (40 goals, 75 assists) and Tkachuk was eighth with NHL career highs in points (104), goals (42) and assists (62).
Now each is in a different location. Gaudreau signed a seven-year, $68.25 million contract with the Columbus Blue Jackets on July 13. Tkachuk was traded by the Flames to the Florida Panthers, along with a conditional fourth-round pick in the 2025 NHL Draft, for forward Jonathan Huberdeaudefenseman MacKenzie Weegarforward prospect Cole Schwindt and a conditional first-round pick in the 2025 draft on July 22.
Gaudreau and Tkachuk will get reacquainted when the Blue Jackets play the Florida Panthers at FLA Live Arena on Tuesday (7 pm ET; ESPN+, HULU, SN NOW). The Panthers (13-12-4) are fifth in the Atlantic Division and the Blue Jackets (10-15-2) are last in the Metropolitan Division.
Each is having an impact on his respective team, but which will have the biggest impact by the end of the season? That’s the question before NHL.com staff writers Tracey Myers and Amalie Benjamin in this installment of State Your Case.
Myers: OK, this is probably a tough argument on my end because of where the Blue Jackets are in the standings. At the same time, I think that’s what bolsters my take that Gaudreau will have a bigger impact on the Blue Jackets than Tkachuk on the Panthers. Right now, Gaudreau is the Blue Jackets. The 29-year-old leads Columbus with 31 points (10 goals, 21 assists) in 27 games. He’s been consistent, averaging 1.15 points per game (down from 1.40 last season with Calgary but still good). The goaltending has been rough. Some good players are out: defenseman Zach Werenski will miss the rest of the seas after having shoulder surgery Nov. 29, defenseman Jake Bean had shoulder surgery and is out for 4-6 months and forward Jakub Voracek is out indefinitely because of a concussion. And forward Patrick Laine, who was supposed to form a dynamic duo with Gaudreau, has missed 14 games because of injuries. That leaves Gaudreau as the one bearing most of the onus of trying to help the Blue Jackets improve.
Benjamin: That’s fair, and I see your point. But ultimately, where are the Blue Jackets going this season? The Panthers, on the other hand, are right in the middle of the standings, just north of .500 (.517 points percentage). Tkachuk leads the Panthers with 37 points (13 goals, 24 assists) in 27 games, and he’s second in goals, two behind Carter Verhaeghe. Tkachuk is averaging 3.32 points per 60 minutes at 5 on 5, ahead of his total from last season (3.23). He’s on a line with Alexander Barkov and Verhaeghe at the moment, which works for what he can do on the ice, playing to that much-lauded grit and sandpaper. It’s a dynamite line with a tremendous amount of skill, talent and potential.
Myers: Yeah, no argument here on where the Blue Jackets are going and what Tkachuk is doing for the Panthers. But my stance is that Gaudreau has some help around him this season but not as much as Tkachuk, hence his impact being bigger on the Blue Jackets. Like you said, Tkachuk has been tremendous and is part of a great line with Barkov and Verhaeghe and it seems like there are more options around him than Gaudreau has at this point. Gaudreau got his 31 points in 27 games, tying him with Artemi Panarin (2018-19) for the second-fewest needed to reach 30 points in Blue Jackets history. Tkachuk is a big part of the show in Florida but Gaudreau is the show in Columbus.
Benjamin: Good points, all. But here’s the kicker. For all of what Tkachuk has been able to do so far in Florida, I think there’s another gear for him and another gear for the Panthers. They have been a work in progress since the start of the season as they try to learn new coach Paul Maurice’s systems. But I think they’re better than what they’ve shown. Although the Panthers have scored 68 goals at 5 on 5, second in the NHL to the New Jersey Devils (71), their power play is 26th at 19.3 percent. It should be significantly better, and so should Tkachuk, who has 12 points (two goals, 10 assists) on the power play after he had 29 points (12 goals, 17 assists) last season. If Florida’s power play can get better, it’s likely because of the impact Tkachuk has on it. My bet is it will get better.
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