Matthew Tkachuk breaks silence on severe injury, ranks how tough each playoff round is

Tkachuk has strangely praised the Oilers through this postseason instead of taking his usual route of being an agitator - Tkachuk has actually called the Oilers and Panthers the two best teams by far in the NHL.

Tkachuk reportedly sustained a groin injury just prior to the 4 Nations Faceoff, and after gutting out the tournament, was shut down for the rest of the Panthers' season. He was apparently never sure he'd play again this year, but once the ball started in the first round - he was good.

It's interesting to hear Tkachuk slightly rank the team in difficulty through the Stanley Cup Final - putting Tampa Bay and Edmonton in a far different class than the Toronto Maple Leafs and Carolina Hurricanes.

Through the Stanley Cup Final, it's been easy to see that Tkachuk has been no where near 100% health. Still though, he's found ways to be effective and register 2 goals and 6 points in the Final.

The Florida Panthers have been deep enough to shelter an injured Tkachuk and still give him time to get on the board. The Panthers have an absurd amount of players nearing 20 points this postseason, and plenty far beyond that.

He's changed as he's gotten older, but there's still no one the Oilers and Edmonton fans want to see lift the Cup less than Matthew Tkachuk and the Florida Panthers. The Oilers have just a few chances left to come back and finally win the first cup in the McDavid era.