Matthew Tkachuk was acquired by the Florida Panthers. The Calgary Flames received a sizable payout. Who then successfully completed the trade?
In the NHL, there are some situations where a transaction between teams leaves fans speechless. The Florida Panthers and Calgary Flames delivered precisely that.
Matthew Tkachuk, a Flames winger, informed the team earlier this week that he was not interested in signing a new contract.
The Panthers were reportedly one of the teams on his list for which he would sanction a trade, according to Jeremy Rutherford and Hailey Salvian of The Athletic.
As expected, the Panthers were able to acquire Tkachuk from the Flames along with a conditional fourth-round pick in exchange for forward Jonathan Huberdeau, defenseman MacKenzie Weegar, prospect Cole Schwindt, and a potential first-round pick in 2025.
Tkachuk inked an eight-year contract that will pay him $9.5 million annually, which is a crucial point to remember.
This trade qualifies as a blockbuster in every definition of the word. Who, however, made the deal?
Trading grade for panthers
The Panthers deserve praise for their impressive splash move. They have demonstrated that they are fully committed to winning the Stanley Cup.
They acquired former Philadelphia Flyers captain Claude Giroux at the trade deadline this past season, and he will play for the squad the rest of the way.
Unfortunately, the Tampa Bay Lightning swept them in the second round. They hired Paul Maurice to serve as their head coach over the offseason.
They are already taking action to sign the 24-year-old Tkachuk, who recently completed a career-year. The winger participated in all 82 games of the regular season, scoring 42 goals and dishing out 62 assists for a total of 104 points, which is a season-high for him.
They were also able to quickly come to an agreement on the conditions of a contract renewal, which keeps him in Sunrise, Florida, until the summer of 2030.
They did not exactly win this trade, despite on paper being able to get a guy like Tkachuk who can score points and get under the skin of the opposition.
Trade-grade flames
General manager Brad Treliving completely redeemed himself just as Flames fans were beginning to fear the offseason was going to be awful.
Due to Johnny Gaudreau’s desire to go nearer to his family, this organization was unable to retain him on a costly contract extension.
Gaudreau quickly agreed to a contract with the Columbus Blue Jackets. Then they learn that Tkachuk was unwilling to agree to a contract extension. What a terrible circumstance for the Flames to be in.
But later, the Panthers made them an offer.
Given that he has not scored more than 60 points in each of the previous four seasons, Huberdeau is one of the league’s most reliable scorers.
Last year, however, Huberdeau had a great season. He had a career-high 85 assists and a single-season-high 30 goals.Huberdeau came in fifth place for the Hart Trophy.
Weegar was a top-pairing defenseman for Florida. A former seventh-round pick of the Panthers in 2013, he had his best-ever season in 2013 with eight goals, 36 assists, and a plus/minus rating of 40.
The highlights of the trade are getting these two guys. Schwindt, a center prospect, and a conditional first-round pick in 2025 are further benefits of the deal.
On paper, this deal looks great, but there is a catch: both Huberdeau and Weegar are eligible for free agency following the 2019–20 season. Huberdeau and Weegar will need to be secured by Calgary for the foreseeable future.
The Flames succeeded in this move despite the impending contract problems.
