Brad Marchand on the Florida Panthers seems like the most perfect fit. Now, another gritty player on the team, Matthew Tkachuk, has revealed Marchand’s perfect two-word nickname—and it couldn’t be more accurate.
It came as a big shock to the hockey world when Brad Marchand was traded from the Boston Bruins. The veteran forward had only played for the B’s in his long NHL career and had been one of the faces of the franchise for years. But after failing to agree on a contract extension, the Bruins’ front office made the controversial decision to trade Marchand to the Florida Panthers at the deadline.
Now, more than a month later, Marchand already seems to have become one of the most beloved teammates in the Panthers’ locker room. And with last year’s Stanley Cup champions adding one of the grittiest, most in-your-face players in the league, all eyes will be on Florida.
Brad Marchand’s perfect nickname
Matthew Tkachuk has been sidelined with an injury for a while but is expected to return for the playoffs. And if the Panthers roll out a line featuring Brad Marchand, Sam Bennett, and Tkachuk—it could easily become one of the toughest lines in the postseason.
Brad Marchand has always been a pest to opponents on the ice, and speaking on the Up & Adams Show, Tkachuk told Kay Adams that the team has started calling Marchand by the perfect nickname: Rat King, a title that previously belonged to Tkachuk.
”That is not me coming up with it at all. But I think it’s kind of funny. We have a bigger rat on my team in Marchand now, so he can take over that title,” Tkachuk said.
Later, Tkachuk was asked if it’s beneficial to have two rats on the team—and he gave a great response:
“What made our team successful last year is we had about 15 rats on the team. So I think that it’s good and okay to have more than one,” Tkachuk said.
READ MORE: Matthew Tkachuk’s sincere words about facing his brother Brady
