There are a few guarantees when you watch Matthew Tkachuk play the game of hockey. He is going to throw hits, he is going to muck it up after the whistle and his mouthguard is never going to be in his mouth.
The Panthers winger has been an integral part of Florida's run in the 2023 playoffs. He was involved in a major blockbuster trade in the summer of 2022, as Tkachuk was moved to the Panthers in a deal involving Jonathan Huberdeau and MacKenzie Weegar.
Since his arrival in South Florida, he has been the Panthers' best player, even if he uses the mouthpiece more as a chew toy than protection against his teeth.
Tkachuk isn't the only one in the league. Patrick Kane has been known to have the mouthguard half-in, half-out. Leon Draisaitl and Clayton Keller do the same thing.
NHL PLAYOFFS: FULL BRACKET | PREDICTIONS | SCHEDULE
But why does Tkachuk do it? The Sporting News explains why the Panthers star is constantly gnawing on his mouthguard.
The simple reason why Matthew Tkachuk chews on his mouthguard
The reason why Tkachuk is always chewing on his mouthguard is different depending on which Tkachuk brother you ask.
The Panthers star was asked in an article by The Athletic as to why he chews on his mouthguard. He didn't have a definitive answer.
"I’m not sure where that started or why," Matthew said. "Maybe just like a little stress reliever. I don’t know why I do it."
According to Brady, Matthew's younger brother and captain of the Senators, Kane is the reason why the piece hangs out of his older sibling's mouth.
"Oh, for sure," Brady said. "Matthew, he was a Kane fan growing up, so I definitely think part of it is because of him."
As mentioned earlier, the mouthguard never was in Kane's mouth during his prime years with the Blackhawks. It has changed since, but a number of American players, including the Tkachuks, noticed the trend with the former Chicago winger.
"(Kane) had it half in, half out, almost like a 'couldn’t care less' level, kind of that swagger," Brady said. "He had that flow on him too, and kids, for sure, modeled themselves after that."
MORE: How Tkachuk brothers Matthew, Brady followed dad, Keith, to NHL
Matthew denied that Kane was the reason, but it is very easy to see why people would make that guess.
"I can promise I didn’t copy (Kane) with that," Matthew said. "I’m sure people can make the connection because of him, but I don’t think that’s necessarily the case. I wouldn’t be surprised if some guys, he was their idol and maybe do it because of him. Maybe with some people, but not with me."
The mouthpiece placement runs in the family. Like Matthew, Brady has a tendency to chew on his mouthguard. It's not nearly as often, but it does happen multiple times throughout a game.
While the eldest Tkachuk wouldn't budge on his stance, Brady admitted that Kane is part of the reason why he does it.
"For me, it was a little bit of (Kane), but sometimes the mouth guard is so annoying that you don’t even realize that it’s hanging out of your mouth," Brady said.
