Is Matthew Tkachuk the Next Corey Perry?

The 19 year-old winger turned heads all season.

HockeyFeed
HockeyFeed
Published 6 years ago
Is Matthew Tkachuk the Next Corey Perry?
Keystone Press

Is Matthew Tkachuk the Next Corey Perry?

In a season that featured a bumper crop of NHL rookies, few were as big a surprise this season than the Calgary Flames’ Matthew Tkachuk. The 19 year-old winger turned heads all season by playing a strong two-way game that saw him put up 48 points and get in the face of opposing players.

His biggest headlines came when he was suspended two games for elbowing Los Angeles Kings defenseman Drew Doughty in the head. You think that would calm the kid down and hinder his effectiveness? Not a chance. At his very next opportunity he attempted to run Doughty right out of the building.

Unfortunately, like many of the Flames’ young players, Tkachuk wasn’t able to carry over his regular season success into the playoffs this season. He was mostly ineffective with 0 points in 4 games as the Flames were swept by the Anaheim Ducks.

Now…about those Ducks. They have a player by the name of Corey Perry who plays an awful lot like Tkachuk. Is it possible that Tkachuk could one day become as valuable to his team as Perry has proven to be throughout the course of his career? One thing’s for sure, Perry is equally adept at scoring goals or aggravating his competition. In both players’ cases, they have the ability to put the puck in the net or get under the skin of the opposition with equal ability.

If Tkachuk is to one day ascend to the level of Perry’s play, he’ll need to bring his focus and intensity everyday and show some more consistency game in and game out. With nearly 50 points in his rookie season however, he’s already on the track to surpass Perry, so now it’s just a matter of staying on the right track for the young winger.

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