Matthew Tkachuk didn't hold back when talking about the Florida Panthers' offseason roster changes. The star forward said he'll miss Sergei Bobrovsky and Evan Rodrigues after both left the team following the 2025-26 season.

Tkachuk spoke on his Wingmen podcast with brother Brady Tkachuk, now a teammate in Florida. He called Bobrovsky the "backbone" of the Panthers and admitted the team wouldn't have won back-to-back Stanley Cups without him.

What did Matthew Tkachuk say about Sergei Bobrovsky leaving?

Tkachuk made his feelings clear after Florida's season-ending 8-1 win over the Detroit Red Wings in Sunrise. "The only guy I will be recruiting, and I hope I don't have to recruit him, and that's Bob," he said then.

Months later, the Panthers couldn't reach a new deal with Bobrovsky. They traded for Jacob Markstrom from the New Jersey Devils instead. Bobrovsky signed a three-year, $21 million contract with the Toronto Maple Leafs.

"Obviously, all of our lives have changed forever since the Cups," Tkachuk said on the podcast. "Our lives would have been the exact same because we wouldn't have won without him. He was the guy."

Tkachuk spent four seasons with Bobrovsky in South Florida. The Panthers went to three straight Stanley Cup Finals, winning in 2024 and 2025. He called Bobrovsky "one of my favorite teammates, ever."

How did the Panthers trade affect Matthew Tkachuk's teammates?

To land Markstrom, Florida sent Evan Rodrigues and Jesper Boqvist to New Jersey. Tkachuk said saying goodbye to both stung.

Rodrigues signed a four-year deal with Florida in 2023 and helped win two Cups. "E-Rod? Both Finals, both playoff runs … he is such a Swiss Army knife," Tkachuk said. "Jersey is getting a good one."

Tkachuk added: "The performance he had in the Finals is the legit stuff of legends. We are not winning the Cup without him. He was that good."

Rodrigues is a free agent after next season. Tkachuk texted him: "I really hope our paths cross again. I just love playing with him so much."

Boqvist joined the Panthers in 2024 and contributed off the bench in the playoffs. Tkachuk praised him too, though the source didn't include a full quote.

What does Matthew Tkachuk think about Jacob Markstrom joining?

Tkachuk played with Markstrom in Calgary. He said he's thrilled to reunite with him, even if losing Bobrovsky hurts.

"Mixed emotions," Tkachuk said. "You're sad for a bit, but also happy that we get to play with Marky."

The Panthers acquired Markstrom in a trade that sent Rodrigues and Boqvist to the Devils. Markstrom, a veteran goaltender, will try to fill Bobrovsky's skates.

Tkachuk made it clear: the team's core believes in the new guy. But the loss of Bobrovsky and Rodrigues leaves a hole in the locker room and on the ice.

What's next for Matthew Tkachuk and the Panthers?

Florida won the Stanley Cup in 2024 and 2025. They're chasing a three-peat, but the roster looks different now.

Tkachuk will lead the charge alongside his brother Brady, who joined the Panthers this offseason. The team also added Markstrom to replace Bobrovsky.

Rodrigues' departure leaves a gap on the wing. The Panthers have salary cap space next summer, so a reunion isn't impossible.

For now, Tkachuk is focused on the guys still in the room. "He kept us in so many games that we didn't deserve to be in," he said of Bobrovsky. "And he won us a lot of games that we didn't deserve to win."

That's the standard Markstrom will have to meet.