Late night dealing lands Matthew Tkachuk with Panthers for three players
Anthony Scultore
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If you went to bed early on the East Coast of the U.S. and Canada, you missed Matthew Tkachuk being traded to the Florida Panthers. In exchange, the Calgary Flames received forward Jonathan Huberdeau, defenseman MacKenzie Weegar, prospect Cole Schwindt and a conditional first-round pick in the 2025 NHL Draft.
The Panthers immediately signed Tkachuk to an 8-year deal worth $76 million (AAV $9.5M) on Friday. Per CapFriendly, the Panthers are currently $3 million over the cap. Expect another transaction.
“Matthew is a tenacious, physical competitor who possesses a tremendously unique skillset,” Panthers GM Bill Zito said in a news release. “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.”
Note: Calgary also sent over a conditional fourth-round pick in the 2025 NHL Draft.
Matthew Tkachuk traded to the Florida Panthers
Tkachuk, 24, registered a career-high 104 points on the strength of 42 goals in 82 games last season. He has 382 career points in 431 games since he joined the Flames, who selected him sixth overall in the 2016 draft.
It’s been a wild week for the Flames after Tkachuk told them he wouldn’t sign a long-term deal as a restricted free agent. The organization elected for salary arbitration to avoid losing him to a potential offer sheet and be left with nothing but first round picks for their young superstar.
The move was a shrewd one as the Flames turned a bad situation into a boon of quality players.
For Tkachuk, he leaves one first place team for another and is expected to play a huge role going forward with the Panthers. He’s likely going to be paired with Aleksander Barkov on the top line.
Flames get huge return
The Calgary Flames are first team to lose two 100 point players in the same season per ESPN’s John Buccigross. Both Johnny Gaudreau (115 points) and Matthew Tkachuk (104 points) broke the century mark last season.
Calgary did get a 100 point scorer back in the deal in Jonathan Huberdeau, along with an excellent defenseman in MacKenzie Weegar. They are both entering the final year of their contracts.
Huberdeau, 29, scored a career-best 115 points in 80 games last season while matching his career high of 30 goals. He has 613 points (198 goals, 415 assists) in 10 NHL seasons, all with the Panthers.
Weegar, 28, established career bests with eight goals, 36 assists and 44 points in 80 games last season. He has 121 points (27 goals, 94 assists) in five-plus seasons, all with Florida.
Schwindt played in three games for the Panthers last season. The 21-year-old forward spent most of the season with the Charlotte Checkers of the American Hockey League and had 19 goals and 21 assists (40 points) in 72 games.
“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,” Zito said. “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.”
–Field Level Media contributed to this report