Matthew Tkachuk tells Calgary Flames he won’t sign long-term contract; trade expected soon

From the moment Johnny Gaudreau left the Calgary Flames to sign with the Columbus Blue Jackets as an unrestricted free agent last week, speculation over Calgary’s other 100-point scorer, right winger Matthew Tkachuk, began to swirl. Would Tkachuk, a restricted free agent, want out after his linemate’s departure? The buzz only intensified when the Flames opted for club-elected salary arbitration earlier this week.

Now, speculation has given way to inevitability. According to a story published Wednesday by The Athletic’s Hailey Salvian and Jeremy Rutherford, sources indicate Tkachuk, 24, has informed the Flames that he will not be re-signing with them on a long-term contract. A trade is likely to happen in the coming days and weeks, the story suggests.

According to the Salvian and Rutherford’s story, Tkachuk has submitted a list of teams with whom he would agree to a long-term contract. A source indicated to The Athletic that the list includes the St. Louis Blues, Vegas Golden Knights, Florida Panthers, Nashville Predators and Dallas Stars, while the New York Rangers and New Jersey Devils are on the radar, too, as teams who have expressed interest in Tkachuk. The most obvious fit from a personal perspective will be St. Louis, as Matthew, son of longtime NHLer and 500-goal scorer Keith Tkachuk, grew up there while Keith played for the St. Louis Blues.

Whatever happens, we can expect any trade package going Calgary’s way to be gargantuan, whether it includes high-end NHL talent, young NHLers, top prospects, first-round picks or all of the above.

Tkachuk, selected sixth overall by the Flames in the 2016 NHL Draft, set career highs across the board in 2021-22 with 42 goals and 104 points. With 382 points in 431 NHL games to date, Tkachuk is second only to Auston Matthews in scoring among 2016 Draft class members.