Ex-Edmonton Oilers player roughs up Matthew Tkachuk after return from injury
You can take Vincent Desharnais off the Edmonton Oilers, but you can’t remove his hatred for Florida Panthers pest Matthew Tkachuk.
The former Oilers defenceman is now playing for the San Jose Sharks and found his way into the headlines after a game against the Florida Panthers on Monday night.
He hasn’t even been a regular player for the Sharks this season, having played only 21 games so far. Yet, Desharnais found a way to stand out against the Panthers by beating up on Tkachuk, who was playing his first game of the season after recovering from an injury.
Considering Tkachuk’s history of trolling the Oilers, Edmonton fans probably enjoyed seeing their old friend give him a hard time.
“I think it’s just part of my game,” Desharnais said post-game. “I try to get under their guy’s skin, and he’s a good player; he plays hard. I was just trying to do my job, and I like those kinds of battles. It’s playoff-like.
“It feels good to have a little bit of history with them in the past with Edmonton. Every time I come here, there is a little bit more emotion involved.”
Just the 1st period into his return and Matthew Tkachuk got into it with Vincent Desharnais 😅👀 pic.twitter.com/uFUlAiVzKG
— Gino Hard (@GinoHard_) January 19, 2026
That scrum wasn’t the only testy interaction between Desharnais and Tkachuk. A little later in the game, the former Oilers defender caught the Panthers pest with a thunderous open-ice hit.
It’s the type of hit that many Oilers fans likely wished for during each of the last two Stanley Cup Final matchups against the Panthers.
Vincent Desharnais lays the boom on Matthew Tkachuk! 💥 pic.twitter.com/RgdymMocN6
— NHL (@NHL) January 19, 2026
If that wasn’t enough to make the headlines, Desharnais also found his way onto the scoresheet, notching just his second-ever NHL goal. That helped San Jose to an impressive 4-1 victory over the defending champions.
After the game, all the questions were focused on the Tkachuk feud, and Desharnais joked that they needed to ask him about the goal.
“No questions about the goal?” Desharnais said with a smile. “First goal in two seasons, and we don’t even ask that? Come on, pump up my tires, come on here!”
First of the season for Vinny Desharnais! 👏 pic.twitter.com/gHusj8Q7QL
— San Jose Sharks (@SanJoseSharks) January 20, 2026
Desharnais has jumped around the NHL a little bit since leaving the Oilers in the summer of 2024. He had a short stint with the Vancouver Canucks, got traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins, and then was dealt again to the Sharks last season.
It seems like he is finding a bit of a home on the West Coast, and plenty of Oilers fans will likely wonder if he could shake loose in a trade to bring him back to the Alberta capital.