This was meant to happen. Trade chatter had intensified in the past days in Calgary, especially when the Flames filed for club-elected salary arbitration with restricted free agent Matthew Tkachuk on Monday giving them more time to figure out what to do. But now, the Flames might have to move quickly as insider Jeremy Rutherford of The Athletic repots on Wednesday that Tkachuk that he won’t be re-signing with the club, multiple sources tell The Athletic, making a trade of the 24-year-old All-Star forward likely to happen soon.
On top of that, Tkachuk “has supplied them with a list of teams with whom he would agree to a long-term contract, according to multiple sources.”
“One source familiar with Tkachuk’s list said that St. Louis, Vegas, Florida, Nashville and Dallas are options. New Jersey and the New York Rangers are also among the other teams that have expressed interest in the past.”
While Tkachuk has not demanded to be traded, he made it clear to the Flames that he is unwilling to make a long-term commitment to Calgary.
Tkachuk is coming off a three-year, $21-million deal with the Flames and is currently a restricted free agent. On Sunday, he was not one of the 23 players who elected arbitration. He took part in all 82 games for the Calgary Flames last season, scoring 42 goals and registering 104 points. He also registered 10 points in 12 games during the Stanley Cup playoffs, where the Flames were eliminated in the second round by the Edmonton Oilers.
The Flames have already lost out big when Johnny Gaudreau walked away to test free agency and signed with the Columbus Blue Jackets. At this point, it appears highly unlikely that the Flames could convince Tkachuk to re-sign and fans should expect a trade shortly.
