Matthew Tkachuk Being Named as Cover Star of NHL 26 Sparks Mixed Reactions from Fans on Social Media

Florida Panthers' forward Matthew Tkachuk will grace the cover of the NHL 26 as he was named as the cover athlete of the upcoming game.

Matthew Tkachuk Being Named as Cover Star of NHL 26 Sparks Mixed Reactions from Fans on Social Media

Matthew Tkachuk (Image via X/@NHL)

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On Monday, Electronic Arts (EA) Sports dropped a major announcement regarding the upcoming NHL 26 series. The company revealed Florida Panthers star Matthew Tkachuk as the cover star of the upcoming game.

Tkachuk, the 2-time Stanley Cup champion, has been one of the most popular hockey players in recent times. Following his success with the Panthers and a spirited showing at the 4 Nations Face Off earlier this year, he has amazed a huge fan following.

As a result of this, the 27-year-old was selected as the star for the new game. While more details regarding the game will be released on Wednesday through the official YouTube channel of EA Sports NHL, it is now confirmed that Tkachuk will headline the next installment of this game.

He’s a tone-setter, a leader, and now a cover star. Matthew Tkachuk is the face of #NHL26.

NHL on X

After the news about this went viral, Tkachuk also took to his X account to share his thoughts.

Thank you to the ones who believed, and the ones who didn’t.

Matthew Tkachuk on X

Since his trade to the Panthers before the 2022-23 season, Tkachuk has played a major role in the rise of his team. During their playoff run last season, the forward was the joint-highest point scorer for his team with 23 (8 goals and 15 assists). His performances helped the team go back-to-back against the Edmonton Oilers and clinched their second straight Stanley Cup.

Tkachuk also becomes the 2nd Panthers star to be on the cover of the NHL video game. John Vanbiesbrouck in 1997 was the first Panthers star to feature as the cover star.

Social media reacts to Matthew Tkachuk being named as cover star for NHL 26

Matthew Tkachuk joined a long list of top NHL stars on Monday to feature as the cover star of the video game. The American international will be the face of the next game which will likely be released later this year.

Panthers' Matthew Tkachuk
Matthew Tkachuk (Image via Gino Hard)

Him being named as the cover athlete, though, sparked some mixed reactions on social media. While some were left hyped up by it, there were some who were not impressed. A few of them on X threw in names like Johnny Gaudreau and Alex Ovechkin as their choice for the cover instead of Tkachuk.

Check out some of the top reactions regarding this development from X below:

Before the start of last season, the NHL world lost Johnny Gaudreau through a tragedy. The former Calgary Flames and Columbus Blue Jackets star was killed in an accident while he was cycling along with his brother, Matthew in New Jersey.

Meanwhile, the spotlight was firmly on Alex Ovechkin during the 2024-25 season. The Washington Capitals turned back the clock last season and finally chased down the goal-scoring record of Wayne Gretzky to become the highest scorer in NHL history.

Matthew Tkachuk joins Wayne Gretzky in Donald Trump’s new sports initiative 

Apart from being named as the cover star for NHL 26, there has been another major development for Matthew Tkachuk. The NHL star has been named in Donald Trump‘s new sports initiative alongside Wayne Gretzky and some other top sporting stars.

Matthew Tkachuk
Matthew Tkachuk (Image via X/@BR_OpenIce)

A few days ago, Trump announced a new council on Sports, Fitness, and Nutrition, which will create school-based programs to reward excellence in physical education and support the development of a Presidential Fitness Award. Tkachuk, who has become a top name in the NHL in recent years, has been named as part of this council.

Alongside him and Gretzky are Nick Bosa, Harrison Butker, Cody Campbell, Roger Goodell, Nelly Korda, Triple H, Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player, Mariano Rivera, Tony Romo, Annika Sorenstam, Tua Tagovailoa, Lawrence Taylor, and NHL commissioner Gary Bettman.

Philadelphia Eagles star Saquon Barkley was also named in this council. However, the reigning Offensive MVP turned down this offer and instead decided to focus on the upcoming season and help the Eagles go back-to-back next season.

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