The Flames Are Fully Loaded After A Crazy Offseason
Photo by Clutch Points
The date is May 26, 2022, and the Calgary Flames have just watched Connor McDavid of the Edmonton Oilers end their season in game five of the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs when he scored a wrist shot in the slot to win the game in overtime. After an incredible season that saw the Flames win the Pacific Division and their top two players, Johnny Gaudreau and Matthew Tkachuk put up 115 and 104 points, respectively, Calgary was sent into an offseason that would be filled to the brim with question marks.
Johnny Gaudreau’s contract was up, and he was likely not going to be resigning with the team to play closer to his hometown of Salem, New Jersey. So they were looking at potentially losing the player who has been the face of their franchise for several years, just after he finished second in the league in points. And to make matters even worse for the team, Matthew Tkachuk was set to become a restricted free agent on July 1st. With Tkachuk being just 24 years old and one of the best young players in the league, it was expected that he would be Calgary’s franchise cornerstone for many years to come. That vision was put into jeopardy though when it was looking like that if Gaudreau left, Tkachuk would be leaving as well. Things took yet another bad turn when Gaudreau turned down an offer from Calgary for eight years for $84 million. He eventually went on to sign a seven-year deal with the Columbus Blue Jackets worth $68.25 million.
With Gaudreau officially leaving the team, everyone’s eyes were turned to the Matthew Tkachuk situation. Tkachuk told the team that he was not going to sign long term, so the Flames were forced to figure out what to do with him. While another team could have signed him, it was unlikely to happen since he was a restricted free agent, and they would have to give up too much to get him. That left the Flames really with just two options: sign him short term until he becomes an unrestricted free agent, or trade him and at least get something in return. The situation came to an end on July 22, 2022, when the Flames announced they had traded Tkachuk to the Florida Panthers in exchange for forward Jonathan Huberdeau and defenseman MacKenzie Weegar.
The Flames’ moves did not stop there, though, as on August 18th they signed center Nazem Kadri, fresh off a Stanley Cup win, to a seven-year deal. Kadri was one of the biggest names in free agency this offseason after an incredible season with the Avalanche that saw him put up 87 points in 71 games while playing on their second line. Signing him truly made Calgary one of the winners of the offseason and kept their team at the same competitive level and contender status which they were at before.
The players they got from the Panthers kept them at a high level as Jonathan Huberdeau fills the franchise player hole that Gaudreau and Tkachuk left. Huberdeau, who is 29, is coming off a spectacular season where he led his team to a President’s Trophy win and he led the league in assists with 85, tying Gaudreau with 115 points which was second in the league. The Flames locked him up long term when they signed him to an eight-year contract extension to ensure he’ll be their star for years to come.
They not only filled the superstar role but addressed the team’s need for defense by also getting Weegar in the trade. Weegar, 28, is one of the better young defensemen in the NHL and he himself is coming off a season where he had 44 points in 80 games as well as being a plus 40 player. The Flames signed him to an eight-year contract extension on October 7th.
If this new trio of players that Calgary brought in this offseason can click with the core they already have, the franchise will be poised to have another great season. The Flames may have ended last season with a questionable future, but after an incredible offseason, Calgary is reloaded and ready to make a run at the Stanley Cup.
