Tkachuk ‘at my best’ for Olympic debut with U.S. after returning to Panthers

At first, he was unsure if he would be ready for the start of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Then the Panthers were unsure he would survive the Eastern Conference First Round, but he ended up playing all of Florida’s 23 postseason games and finished with 23 points (eight goals, 15 assists), tying forwards Sam Reinhart and Carter Verhaeghe for the team lead.

On June 16, the day before he hoisted the Cup for the second time, Tkachuk was one of the first six players named to Team USA’s Olympic roster. But he had surgery Aug. 22 and did not attend the United States Men’s Olympic Orientation Camp in Plymouth, Michigan, from Aug. 25-27.

If all went well, Tkachuk would be back in time for the Olympics. But would he be at full strength? Would he be himself?

The Americans monitored his rehab closely, with Panthers general manager Bill Zito as part of their management group.

“I was very concerned, because he’s a really important player for our team — not only on the ice, but off the ice,” U.S. coach Mike Sullivan said. “In a lot of ways, he’s one of the heart-and-soul guys that I think create the identity that we’re trying to create with the group, and so he’s such an important player for us on so many different levels. So was I concerned throughout the course of the year? Of course.”

Tkachuk missed the Panthers’ first 47 games of the season, and they missed him. When he returned Jan. 19, they were seventh in the Atlantic Division and 12th in the Eastern Conference.

He was able to play 10 games before the Olympics and had eight points (three goals, five assists).

“It’s always better when players get a few games in,” U.S. GM Bill Guerin said. “You know, for NHL players, 10 is plenty, especially an elite player like Matthew, but it’s just to get going, to make sure that you’re OK, to get back in the swing of things.”

Sullivan said he has been pleasantly surprised with how Tkachuk looks. In practice, the U.S. has gone back to a line that made an impact at 4 Nations: Tkachuk on the right, Jack Eichel at center and Tkachuk’s brother, Brady, on the left.

“Obviously, Billy Zito’s a part of our management group, and I’ve talked to him at length about Matthew,” Sullivan said. “He’s got 10 NHL games under his belt, so he’s played a fair amount of games. I think his timing, his conditioning, things like that, he’s in a much better place. And I’ve talked to Matthew himself, and he feels great.”

NHL players are participating in the Olympics for the first time since the 2014 Sochi Games. When they play in a best-on-best tournament, the speed is incredible.

But Tkachuk’s game never has been about speed. He’s smart, skilled and gritty. The same traits that allowed him to produce in the NHL playoffs when he was injured should serve him well in the Olympics now that he’s healthy again.

“He would be probably the first guy to admit — or his brother would tell you — he’s not a burner by any means,” U.S. center Dylan Larkin said. “He moves very methodically, and he’s around the net, and he’s in the hard areas, and when he gets the puck on his stick, he’s making a play, and it’s usually leading to a scoring chance. Very smart, and I think he looks really good.”

That’s good news for Team USA.

“Did I build for Olympics? No,” Tkachuk said. “I was building to come back for the Panthers. Came back almost a month ago. … I was building towards that. Never really was thinking about, like, just making sure my game’s top shape for Olympics. It was just getting back and helping my team, but also knowing that this was happening in February, and now this is my team.”