The Calgary Flames and their fan base is suffering emotionally. After watching Johnny Gaudreau walk away and sign with the Columbus Blue Jackets, more is coming. Matthew Tkachuk could be involved in a trade. He has told the team he will not sign long-term. It is now a matter as to when not if this all happens. All eyes are now on Matthew Tkachuk and the Calgary Flames.
Matthew Tkachuk To Be Traded
BREAKING: Matthew Tkachuk tells Flames he won’t re-sign long-term, trade likely: Sources.
This story is open for everyone to read.https://t.co/y2TGyEEpOR #stlblues
— Jeremy Rutherford (@jprutherford) July 20, 2022
Matthew Tkachuk has told the Flames he does not want to sign long-term with the Flames. Although he has not publicly asked for a trade, he has forced the hands of the Calgary management. At the draft, the New Jersey Devils did make an offer, but it got rejected in hopes they can sign the 24-year-old.
Jeremy Rutherford has stated that at this point it would be hard for the Flames to convince him to sign long-term and that’s even if they gave him all the money and made him the team captain. One source has said, he will likely be traded before his arbitration hearing that is scheduled sometime between July 27 and August 11.
Why Teams Should Trade For Him
Matthew Tkachuk is an elite player in this league. He is only 24 years old and has a lot of good hockey left in front of him. Tkachuk was one of two 100-point producers on the Flames last year, along with Gaudreau. In 82 games played this season, Tkachuk went on to score 42 goals, 62 assists, and 104 points. Tkachuk does it all with skill, speed, and physicality. He is a lock for the top line and the top six on any given team. According to Rutherford, a long-term contract would carry at least $9 million in average annual value. At the end of the day, the kid is worth it.
Interested Teams
The New Jersey Devils were reported to have offered a trade at the draft, but that is not the only team to have shown interest. In the Rutherford article, there was a source saying Tkachuk’s desired destinations were Vegas, Dallas, Nashville, and Florida. However, this has been reported as inaccurate.
Can report that the alleged trade list for Tkachuk circulating that includes St. Louis, Vegas, Florida, Nashville and Dallas is not accurate.
— Eric Francis (@EricFrancis) July 20, 2022
A feel-good move would be to the St. Louis Blues. The Blues would be a homecoming of sorts for Tkachuk as his father Keith Tkachuk played there. Unfortunately, the Blues are right up against the salary cap so it seems unlikely they can fit him into their plans.
New Jersey and the New York Rangers have shown interest in the past. It remains to be seen if New Jersey circles back. The Rangers could, but are unlikely to be involved due to cap constraints.
Needless to say, all NHL teams would welcome a player of Tkachuk’s calibre into their locker room. So the interest in him will be great. Now it’s about which team can acquire and take on the long-term extension Tkachuk commands. Still being a week into free agency sort of handcuffs the Flames (and Tkachuk) with a potential move. This timing narrows the teams that can take on such a contract since most teams have made their major off-season moves. It seems that a Matthew Tkachuk trade will result in subsequent trade dominos falling before he can sign a long-term extension.
