{"id":119218,"date":"2021-10-03T09:45:51","date_gmt":"2021-10-03T13:45:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/?p=119218"},"modified":"2021-10-02T08:09:52","modified_gmt":"2021-10-02T12:09:52","slug":"matthew-tkachuk-good-captain-calgary-flames","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/2021\/10\/03\/matthew-tkachuk-good-captain-calgary-flames\/","title":{"rendered":"Matthew Tkachuk Would Make a Good Calgary Flames Captain"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Seattle Kraken took former Calgary Flames captain Mark Giordano<\/a><\/strong> in the expansion draft earlier this summer, leaving them without a captain. So that begs the question, who should be the next captain? Of course, the Flames could decide not to name a captain this season. It doesn\u2019t seem like they will right away, at least according to recent comments from coach Darryl Sutter<\/strong><\/a>. There are plenty of teams in the NHL without captains including: the Arizona Coyotes<\/a>, Columbus Blue Jackets<\/a>, New York Rangers<\/a>, Ottawa Senators<\/a> and Seattle Kraken<\/a>. But if the Flames do decide to name one player to lead above all the rest, Matthew Tkachuk<\/a><\/strong> would be a good fit.<\/p>\n

Matthew Tkachuk’s Game<\/h2>\n

In 349 career regular-season games with the Flames, Matthew Tkachuk has 110 goals (including 10 game-winners), 168 assists and 278 points, averaging 17:07 of ice time. He has a 61 percent Corsi and a relative Corsi of 12.8.<\/p>\n

Last season, his 43 points were third on the team behind Johnny Gaudreau<\/a><\/strong> and Elias Lindholm<\/a><\/strong>. His 16 goals were fourth on the team, and his 27 assists were third on the team. The Flames were particularly not fun to watch. They finished fifth in the North Division, only above the Ottawa Senators and Vancouver Canucks<\/a>. But Tkachuk and his line mates often refused to give up no matter how far down they were, meaning the games usually had their fair shares of excitement. In 2019-20, Tkachuk led the team in points.<\/p>\n

According to CBC Sports, before the start of last season, Tkachuk had drawn a league-leading 163 penalties since he entered the NHL.<\/p>\n

Matthew Tkachuk’s Physicality<\/h3>\n

When he\u2019s not able to get himself on the score sheet, he\u2019s getting himself involved in the game physically. Tkachuk has 503 hits, which averages out to 1.4 hits per game. He has 33 hits in 15 playoff games. He has 357 penalty minutes in the regular season and 32 in the playoffs. He\u2019s also not afraid to get into a fight to stand up for himself or his teammates or to try to change the momentum of the game when the Flames are losing.<\/p>\n

According to hockeyfights.com, he\u2019s gotten into 16 fights in his NHL career, including two in the playoffs. He has such a reputation for stirring the pot on the ice that fans and the Flames like to call any game he does so another stop on the \u201cMatthew Tkachuk Friendship Tour.\u201d<\/p>\n

He has been suspended three times in his career, all during his first two seasons in the league. He\u2019s calmed down a little since then, taking less penalties and focusing more on his offensive side of the game. He\u2019s playing more like a captain should.<\/p>\n

Contract Situation<\/h4>\n

While he\u2019s the type of player a team would want as captain, his future in Calgary is unknown. Tkachuk only has one year left on his contract. Rumuors have been circulating that he might want out of Calgary, maybe even to go to his hometown St. Louis Blues<\/a>. However, he will be a restricted free agent. That gives the Flames the opportunity to match any offer sheets he is given. If he wants to stay and the Flames are able to sign him to a contract extension, it might be more likely that he gets named the captain.<\/p>\n

Other Candidates<\/h5>\n

Besides Tkachuk, three other names in the conversation are Mikael Backlund<\/a><\/strong>, Sean Monahan<\/a><\/strong>, and Milan Lucic<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Backlund has been on the team the longest. He was drafted 24th<\/sup>overall by the Flames in the 2007 NHL Draft and played his first NHL game in the 2008-09 season. He\u2019s been an alternate captain since the 2018-19 season, the same season Tkachuk was named an alternate captain.<\/p>\n

Monahan has been an alternate captain for the longest, since the 2015-16 season. He was taken sixth overall by the Flames in the 2013 NHL Draft and played right away.<\/p>\n

And Lucic has the most experience on the team. He was drafted 50th<\/sup>overall by the Boston Bruins<\/a> in the 2006 NHL Draft and began his NHL career in the 2007-08 season. He won the Stanley Cup with the Bruins in 2011.<\/p>\n

All of these players have more experience than Tkachuk. While you want experience in a captain, most teams also want a player who will be on the team for a long time moving forward. Backlund is already 32 years old, and Lucic is 33. Monahan, 26, and Tkachuk, 23, have the potential to play the longest.<\/p>\n

Tkachuk has already proven that he would make a good captain. He\u2019s the type of player his younger teammates can watch and learn from and he\u2019s served as an alternate. But, he isn\u2019t the only option, and there are a lot of unknowns about his future with the franchise. If he were to be named captain, it would make the most sense for him to sign a contract extension first.<\/p>\n

Main Photo:<\/p>\n

Embed from Getty Images<\/a>