Matthew Tkachuk tells Flames he's not signing long-term deal with them
It seemed things couldn't get much worse for the Calgary Flames when they went into the Battle of Alberta in the 2022 playoffs and were soundly beaten by the Edmonton Oilers in 5 games. Not only have they gotten worse, things continue to go down hill for the team. First, star player Johnny Gaudreau left money on the table to sign elsewhere as a free agent. Now, we're learning Matthew Tkachuk has told the team he's not signing a long-term deal with them, leaving GM Brad Treliving with little choice but to trade him before losing him for nothing.
Tkachuk has not officially asked for a trade, but the fact that the restricted free agent is unwilling to make a long-term commitment to Calgary would be the driving force behind the decision to move him now. - Jeremy Rutherford and Hailey Salvian, The Athletic
Tkachuk may not have asked for a trade, but he's forced the Flames' hand by refusing a multi-year deal. At best, Calgary could sign him for two more years, at which point he would become an unrestricted free agent. All signs point to him walking away from the team if that happens. The Athletic states his preferred destinations at the moment include St. Louis, Vegas, Florida, Nashville, and Dallas
With Gaudreau out, and Tkachuk seemingly wanting out, the Flames will be missing a lot of star power next season unless replacements can be found quickly. The team had a big turnaround season in 2021-22, finishing first in the Pacific Division and 3rd overall in the West. All of that seems almost pointless with these latest development. It's turning into a very tough summer for Treliving.
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YESTERDAY
MAY 16, 2026
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| G | A | PTS | ||
| Rasmus Dahlin | 1 | 4 | 5 | |
| Tage Thompson | 1 | 3 | 4 | |
| Jack Quinn | 2 | 1 | 3 | |
| Zach Benson | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Jake Evans | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Jason Zucker | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Ivan Demidov | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Konsta Helenius | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Zach Metsa | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Arber Xhekaj | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Bowen Byram | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Cole Caufield | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Lane Hutson | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Michael Matheson | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Ryan McLeod | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Josh Norris | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Mattias Samuelsson | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Josh Anderson | - | - | - | |
| Zachary Bolduc | - | - | - | |
| Alexandre Carrier | - | - | - | |
| COMPLETE STATS | ||||