Fans Stunned By The Return The Calgary Flames Got For Matthew Tkachuk

Some fans were a little stunned by the return that Calgary Flames star forward Matthew Tkachuk was able to fetch.

Just a few days ago, it was reported that the 24-year-old informed the Flames that he won’t be signing a new contract with the team.

It did not take long after that for Tkachuk to get moved – but how quickly he was traded and the haul the Flames got was a bit shocking.

The Florida Panthers late Friday night completed a deal that sent the Flames all-star forward Jonathan Huberdeau, first-pairing defenseman MacKenzie Weegar, a conditional 2025 first-round pick and prospect Cole Schwindt.

Here are some of the top reactions by some of the fans and members of the media.

The Matthew Tkachuk Trade was

WHAT NOW????

THAT'S SPICY pic.twitter.com/Q5EbW83SYY

— Ryan Mead (@OhRyanMead) July 23, 2022

This league is so unserious how does Matthew Tkachuk get you Huberdeau, Weegar and a first while Alex DeBrincat gets you a first and a second

— Beata (@CBeataE) July 23, 2022

matthew tkachuk now gets to experience paul maurice pic.twitter.com/1VSrZ6Rw1K

— celia ??‍♀️? (@cepremacy) July 23, 2022

The Calgary Flames had no leverage and still acquired Jonathan Huberdeau, MacKenzie Weegar, Cole Schwindt and a first-round pick for Matthew Tkachuk.

Brad Treliving out here playing chess.

— Lukas Weese (@Weesesports) July 23, 2022

There needs to be a documentary on how Bill Zito transformed the Florida Panthers into a contender then blew it in 5 months.

3 first round picks
Huberdeau
Weeger
2 prospects
3rd rounder
4th rounder

For

2 months of Claude Giroux
2 Months of Ben Chiarot
Matthew Tkachuk

Insane

— RUN IT BACK ?? (@LeafsNeedGod) July 23, 2022

In addition to the trade, Tkachuk signed an eight-year contract worth $76 million with the Panthers, which comes with an average annual value (AAV) of $9.5 million

Tkachuk told Sportsnet that he decided that Calgary wasn’t the place he wanted his future to be after the restricted free agency period on July 13.

“There’s a lot that went into it,” Tkachuk said.

“There’s no single reason why I left At the end of the day, I wanted to re-evaluate where I’m at, and after talking to a few teams I did that, and kind of came down to that conclusion. I didn’t know what my decision was going to be until that talking period. It all changed then.”

The move comes a week after the Flames lost another star winger in Johnny Gaudreau to the Columbus Blue Jackets in free agency.

Next up, it’ll be interesting to see if the Flames will re-sign Huberdeau, who is scheduled to be a free agent.

Huberdeau, who will turn 30-years-old when his next contract kicks in, is an elite playmaker who is coming off a 115-point season.

Also, it’ll be interesting to see how both teams benefit from the deal.

We know that Tkachuk is a more valuable asset than Huberdeau but how will the Panthers be affected after losing star center Claude Giroux in free agency and their first-pairing defenseman?

The changes will make the Flames and the Panthers teams to watch for the upcoming 2022-2023 regular season.