Matthew Tkachuk granted award that will haunt Oilers fans for another season

After two straight Stanley Cup victories, there's no doubt that the Panthers are in top of the hockey world, and are personified by their agitator star Matthew Tkachuk. Obviously, this'll sting Oilers fans.

EA made the official announcement this morning of Tkachuk on the cover, and unveiled the design for this year's game.

While it won't mean much to the players or fans who don't play the game, the cover athlete for a year's game is seen as a cultural snapshot and a recognition of the top talent in the sport.

The Panthers' rough style of play has dominated in the playoffs, taking out the Oilers highly skilled roster two years in a row. For any Oilers fan, this cover will be one of the toughest to look at for a full year.

It's gone underrated just how much it could sting for the Edmonton Oilers not only to lose back to back finals, but to do so against the same team.

Both series were hard fought battles featuring the best Oilers teams in recent history, and they still weren't good enough to beat an incredibly deep Florida Panthers team.

Oilers forward Connor McDavid has been featured once on the cover back in 2018. Auston Matthews has been on the cover twice in 2020 and 2022 - so perhaps McDavid or Draisaitl would be due for an appearance on the NHL cover soon.