Matthew Tkachuk appears to be getting a bit of a reputation around the league, but not one that most players would want.
Tkachuk has quietly had a stellar first season in Calgary, and although he’s not likely to have much Calder consideration with the overwhelming amount of elite rookies this year, he’s set up for an excellent career. At only 19-years-old, his .68 points per game ranks within the top 20 of any teenager in points per game since 2005-06.
Still, after a slew foot against the Leafs and dangerous hits on Eric Staal and Leon Draisaitl, that’s not the focus of players around the league. Last night, with his face to the boards and Drew Doughty approaching from behind, Tkachuk’s arm pushes back at the last moment and collides with Doughty’s head (Watch the hit here).
Doughty, who admits that he also plays in a way to get under players’ skin, didn’t pull any punches when asked about it after the game:
“He’s a pretty dirty player, that kid. To be a rookie and play like that is a little surprising. I don’t know exactly what happened because I got hit in the head, but I thought he elbowed me. I can’t tell you for sure, so I’m not going to really say if I think anything should happen, but whatever it was, it hurt pretty bad, and it’s going to hurt for a little bit.”
Either way, what Tkachuk’s doing seems to be working for him in the meantime. Several players in the NHL thrive on blurring the lines between fair and foul, so it won’t be surprising to see him continue to play with an edge.
We’ll wait to see if he’ll have to miss any time because of this slip up.
