Matthew Tkachuk is the star the Florida Panthers needed

Could Matthew Tkachuk become the biggest hockey star to ever come through South Florida?

And in some ways, is he already there?

Perhaps asking such a question is premature. Even a bit hyperbolic, or at least a manifestation of recency bias. How can someone who is on the verge of finishing his first campaign with the Florida Panthers -- a franchise that has had more than 440 players over its near 30-year history -- already create this sort of discussion?

Maybe it has more to do with the realization Tkachuk might be unlike anyone the Panthers have ever seen.

"To look at all the players who have come through this organization, Pavel Bure cannot compare to him," said Bill Lindsay, who spent seven…