Fri, Jul 22, 2022 at 11:59pm

TKACHUK FOR HUBERDEAU!

The Florida Panthers acquired winger Matthew Tkachuk and a conditional fourth-round draft pick in 2025 from the Calgary Flames for winger Jonathan Huberdeau, defenseman MacKenzie Weegar, forward Cole Schwindt and a protected first-round draft pick in 2025.

What does it give the Florida Panthers
Holy overpayment Batman! The Panthers were clearly looking to change the dynamics of their roster this off-season, but why? Florida won the regular-season title in 2021-22 and made it to the second round of the playoffs. Still, they decided to change coaches and trade away their leading scorer in Huberdeau. Tkachuk is a tremendous talent who decided to commit to South Florida for the long haul (8 years, $76 million), but he will be under a lot of pressure to fill the shoes left by Huberdeau. Furthermore, the Cats traded away a first-pairing defenseman (Weegar), a prospect (Schwindt) and a future (lottery protected) first-round pick in this deal. Madness!

What does it give the Calgary Flames
The Flames were reeling before this trade. They recently lost leading scorer Johnny Gaudreau to Columbus as an unrestricted free agent, then got word from Tkachuk that he would not sign a long-term extension with the club. So, GM Brad Treliving dealt the latter to Florida for the ideal Gaudreau replacement in Huberdeau, a quality defenseman in Weegar and two more future assets. Treliving sacrificed his unsigned restricted free agent and also threw in a conditional fourth-rounder in '25. This is a fantastic trade for Calgary because it keeps their window of opportunity open. Treliving needed to hit a home run in order to shake off the loss of Gaudreau...going, going, gone!

Fantasy impact
Tkachuk was one third of arguably the best line in the National Hockey League last season, along with Gaudreau and Elias Lindholm. That will be difficult to replicate in South Florida, though he still has plenty of talent to work with. Still, expect a slight dip in overall production and fantasy value. Huberdeau is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent after the '22-23 campaign, so his motivation should remain very high even after leaving the Panthers. His value should remain stable for the upcoming season. Weegar's role with Calgary may change slightly than what he was used to in Florida, so buyer beware. Schwindt has a chance to see some action with the Flames this coming season, but he is not a top prospect.