Ryan Leslie of Sportsnet is reporting that the Calgary Flames have re-signed forward Matthew Tkachuk to a three-year contract. The deal carries him through the 2021-22 season and will make him the highest-paid Flame ever. Elliotte Friedman reports that the deal will be worth $21 million, or $7 million AAV.
BREAKING: deal done. Tkachuk a 3 year deal that will make him the highest paid Flame of all time.
— Ryan Leslie (@SNryanleslie) September 25, 2019
Expect AAV to be $7M https://t.co/XsOjobA69B
— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) September 25, 2019
Calgary Flames Re-sign Matthew Tkachuk
In 80 games last season, Tkachuk scored 34 goals and added 43 assists for 77 points. His possession numbers were 62.4 percent Corsi and a relative Corsi of +12.6. In five playoff games, Tkachuk scored two goals and added one assist.
Over his three year career with the Flames, Tkachuk has scored 71 goals and 103 assists for 174 points in 224 games.
Tkachuk was originally drafted by the Flames in the first round, sixth overall in the 2016 NHL Entry Draft.
What This Means for the Future
With the Tkachuk signing, the Flames have taken care of their most notable free agent this off-season. Tkachuk is coming off a career year where he was almost a point per game player. He set career highs in goals, assists and points and has blossomed into a real complete player for the organization.
Tkachuk not only puts up points, but he is the Flames super pest. His in-your-face style of play gets under the skin of his opponents and draws them into taking penalties. Tkachuk has a nose for the net and does his best work there. He has a soft touch around the net and a lot of his goals come from him banging away at loose pucks off rebounds. Tkachuk often finds himself in altercations after the whistle as he plays on the edge. If there is a scrum, you can guarantee Tkachuk is in the middle of it.
With Tkachuk locked up, the Flames now have their core group of forwards locked up for at least the next three years (when Johnny Gaudreau‘s contract comes to an end, and Tkachuk will become a restricted free agent). After being ousted in the first round after finishing first in the entire Western Conference, the Flames will be looking to come back with a vengeance. Matthew Tkachuk will certainly be an important part of that moving forward.
Main Photo:
CALGARY, AB – MARCH 4: Matthew Tkachuk #19 of the Calgary Flames in action against the Toronto Maple Leafs during an NHL game at Scotiabank Saddledome on March 4, 2019, in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. (Photo by Derek Leung/Getty Images)
