The Matthew Tkachuk era in Calgary is officially over.
The Calgary Flames have traded the forward to the Florida Panthers, sources tell Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli. In return, the Flames received a massive haul in forward Jonathan Huberdeau, defenseman MacKenzie Weegar prospect Cole Schwindt and a first-round pick, sources told Seravalli. Florida’s first-round pick is lottery-protected, while the Flames also sent a conditional fourth-round pick as part of the deal, Seravalli reported.
The deal comes days after Tkachuk told the Flames he wouldn’t re-sign with them on a long-term deal, but has inked a long-term deal with the Panthers as part of the trade. According to The Athletic’s Jeremy Rutherford, it’s an eight-year deal for Tkachuk worth a total value of $76 million — a $9.5 million AAV.
“Matthew is a tenacious, physical competitor who possesses a tremendously unique skillset,” Panthers GM Bill Zito said in a statement. “He is a consistent elite offensive contributor and has emerged as one of the most complete and dynamic young players in the National Hockey League. We are thrilled to be able to add a generational talent to our lineup.
“On behalf of the entire Florida Panthers organization, we would like to thank Jonathan and MacKenzie for their immense contributions to the Florida Panthers, both on and off the ice, during their tenures in South Florida. They have both blossomed into exceptional athletes and people. Their contributions as players and people made an indelible mark on our franchise and we wish them both continued success in their future.”
Drafted by the Flames sixth overall in the 2016 draft, Tkachuk’s career thus far has been nothing short of a success and the 24-year-old is coming off a career season. In 82 games this year, Tkachuk scored career highs in goals (42), assists (62) and points (104).
The Flames, meanwhile, get a haul back in the deal that will keep them competitive in a tough Western Conference. Huberdeau, 29, and Weegar, 28, are both coming off career years, too. Huberdeau scored 30 goals, and career highs in assists (85) and points (115), while Weegar did the same with career highs in goals (eight), assists (36) and points (44).
Huberdeau has one year left on a six-year contract that paid him an AAV of $5.9 million, and as part of that deal had a modified no-trade clause that saw him submit a list of eight teams he couldn’t be traded too. Weegar, meanwhile, is also in the final year of his contract. He is in the final year of a three-year deal paying him an AAV of $3.25 million and was signed following an arbitration hearing.
Schwindt, 21, was drafted by the Panthers in the third round of the 2019 draft out of the OHL’s Mississauga Steelheads. He played 10 games with the AHL’s Syracuse Crunch in 2020-21 scoring a goal and two points, and spent 72 games with the AHL’s Charlotte Checkers this past season. There, he scored 19 goals and 40 points.
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