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Matthew Tkachuk Given Huge Honour by EA Sports

Originally posted on House of Hockey | By Tom Banks | Last updated Aug 4, 2025 2:03 PM ET

The cover of the NHL video game has become a major honour for players in recent years, and now it's Florida Panthers star Matthew Tkachuk to grace the cover.

Over the past few years, we've seen the likes of Trevor Zegras, Auston Matthews, Quin Hughes and Cale Makar grace the cover of the NHL video games, and now, we know who the next star to get that honour is.

According to a report, it's two-time Stanley Cup winner Matthew Tkachuk of the Florida Panthers that will be the latest player to be honoured by the National Hockey League as he is set to be the cover star of EA Sports' NHL 26.

While there are many fans around the league that don't like Tkachuk for his attitude or his play on the ice, there's no doubting that he's become a major star in the NHL ever since moving to Florida with the team's sustained success.

The biggest turning point for Tkachuk's popularity in the NHL was the Four Nations Face Off tournament, where he and his brother Brady starred for the United States, winning fans all over the United States, even those that weren't too familiar with hockey heading into the international tournament.

Ultimately, there are many players around the NHL that could be worthy of getting a cover, with the future generation of Connor Bedard, Macklin Celebrini and Ivan Demidov all set to be stars of the future that could see this honour one day, but right now, there's few more worthy than Tkachuk, who has achieved everything he could have hoped for in the NHL over the past three seasons.

This article first appeared on House of Hockey and was syndicated with permission.

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