Matthew Tkachuk to Calgary: 'This is one of the hardest decisions of my entire life'

The video saw Tkachuk thank everyone who was a part of his journey in Calgary, and included several highlights from his Flames career, including several big hits, his first career goal, and his milestone 40th goal from the 2021-22 season.

“Absolutely, I loved it here,” said Tkachuck. “This is one of the hardest decisions of my entire life.”

Tkachuk was a part of a blockbuster trade on Friday night, as the Flames traded him to the Florida Panthers in exchange for 100-point scorer Jonathan Huberdeau, top pairing defenseman MacKenzie Weegar, prospect Cole Schwindt, and a lottery-protected 2025 first round pick. Tkachuk had expressed interest in leaving Calgary, so the Flames acted promptly to make a deal and get an appropriate return. He signed an eight-year extension with a $9.5M cap hit with the Flames right before the deal, making it the first sign-and-trade in NHL history.

Drafted No. 6 overall by the Flames in the 2016 NHL Entry Draft, Tkachuk spent the last six seasons in Calgary. In 431 games, he scored 152 goals, 230 assists, and 382 points, including a career-high 42 goals, 62 assists, and 104 points in 2021-22. He was a part of four different playoff runs with the Flames, with seven goals, eight assists, and 15 points in 27 postseason games.

Tkachuk made sure to give plenty of love to Flames fans in the video.

“And you guys, the fans, were so unbelievably important. The energy you guys provided, the passion. It was unbelievable playing in front of you guys. It’s something that I’ll never forget, these were some of my greatest memories.”

It hasn’t exactly been an easy offseason for Flames fans. They had their second best regular season ever, but saw it end in disappointment after a 4-1 series lost to their Albertan rivals, the Edmonton Oilers. The Flames have now lost both Tkachuk and Johnny Gaudreau, who signed with the Columbus Blue Jackets after a 115 point season and finished fourth in Hart Trophy voting.

They’ll look to fill some of that with the Tkachuk trade return, particularly with Huberdeau also having a 115 point season and ranked fifth place in Hart voting. However, there is still uncertainty with the return in the long term, as both Huberdeau and Weegar are unrestricted free agents at the end of the 2022-23 season.

“Thank you for letting me be a part of your guy’s community,” Tkachuk concluded. “Alberta, living there, it’s something special, so I appreciate you guys welcoming me, and until we meet again.”