Matthew Tkachuk estimates that he tells a story about Johnny Gaudreau’s exploits, both the on-ice and off-ice variety, to somebody at least once a week.

It’s been a tough few weeks, but he’ll always be with us and I think everyone has done an amazing job of telling stories and keeping him present because that is exactly what he would want.’

Tkachuk is not the only Panthers player with direct ties to Gaudreau. Forward Sam Bennett was also his teammate in Calgary from 2015-21, and defenseman Adam Boqvist played with him in Columbus the past two seasons before signing with Florida on July 9.