The 10 best left wingers in the NHL right now
Ranked ahead of the new season
Matthew Tkachuk
Matthew Tkachuk is an American left winger for the Florida Panthers and a two-time Stanley Cup champion. Tkachuk was drafted sixth overall by the Calgary Flames in 2016, spent six seasons there and was traded to Florida in July 2022, where he won the Cup in 2024 and again in 2025. Tkachuk is the son of former NHL forward Keith Tkachuk and the older brother of Brady Tkachuk, and he won Olympic gold with the United States in 2026.
| Position | Left wing |
|---|---|
| Born | 11 December 1997 in Scottsdale, Arizona, United States |
| Drafted | 2016, first round, sixth overall, Calgary Flames |
| NHL teams | Calgary Flames 2016 to 2022, Florida Panthers from 2022 |
| Milestones | 109 points in 2022-23, the most ever by a player in his first season with Florida; Stanley Cups in 2024 and 2025 |
| Honours | Olympic gold with the United States in 2026, NHL All-Star Game MVP 2023, two-time NHL Second All-Star Team |
| Family | Son of Keith Tkachuk, brother of Brady Tkachuk |
| Known for | Agitating opponents, heavy production and the nickname The Rat King |
Why did Matthew Tkachuk leave Calgary?
Tkachuk left because he told the Flames he would not sign a long-term extension there, which pushed Calgary to trade him rather than lose him. On 22 July 2022 the Flames sent Tkachuk to Florida for Jonathan Huberdeau, MacKenzie Weegar, prospect Cole Schwindt and a conditional first-round pick, and Tkachuk immediately signed an eight-year deal with the Panthers. The trade has aged badly in Calgary, where Huberdeau never matched his final Panthers season. Tkachuk had already given the Flames their loudest nights, including the Battle of Alberta hat trick his father refused to throw a hat for.
Matthew Tkachuk's father Keith and the family he came from
Keith Tkachuk played 1,201 NHL games for the Winnipeg Jets, Phoenix Coyotes, St. Louis Blues and Atlanta Thrashers, scoring 538 goals and 1,065 points, and was elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2026. He set the template both sons followed, a heavy forward who scored and irritated in equal measure, and his name is why American scouts tracked Matthew Tkachuk from minor hockey onward. Our story on how Keith kept Matthew and Brady from wrecking the house captures the household. Matthew Tkachuk married Ellie Connell in July 2025.
The Tkachuk brothers became Florida teammates in June 2026
The Tkachuk brothers search has followed Matthew and Brady for years, and as of October 2026 they are finally in the same dressing room. Ottawa traded Brady to Florida on 23 June 2026 for two 2026 first-round picks, a conditional 2029 first and a 2027 second. Brady said the idea only felt real after the brothers won Olympic gold together in February 2026. Florida's coaching staff had to work out how to use them, which our piece on Paul Maurice's take on a Tkachuk brothers line picks apart.
Matthew Tkachuk's stats and the records he has already set
Tkachuk's breakout was 2022-23, his first year in Florida: 40 goals and 69 assists for 109 points, the biggest first season with the club any Panther has produced, and the first time since Sidney Crosby in 2005-06 that a player cleared both 100 points and 100 penalty minutes in the same season. Through the 2025-26 season Tkachuk had passed 650 career points in fewer than 700 games, split between 431 games in Calgary and the rest in Florida. He added the 2023 All-Star Game MVP award and two Second All-Star Team selections along the way.
