The Florida Panthers are the kings of the NHL. The organization’s first Stanley Cup championship was a long, three-decade wait, but the team finally made it happen.
The Panthers would never have won the championship without star forward Matthew Tkachuk. In a blockbuster trade in the summer of 2022, the Panthers and Calgary Flames linked up for a trade that sent both organizations in drastically different directions and changed the NHL.
The original trade was a blockbuster. The Panthers sent forward Jonathan Huberdeau, defenseman MacKenzie Weegar, prospect Cole Schwindt, and a conditional first-round 2025 draft pick to Calgary for Tkachuk, immediately signing him to an eight-year extension as well. The Flames had reached the end of their rope with Tkachuk, who was a restricted free agent at the time and unwiling to sign an extension with the Flames.
At the time, the Panthers won the trade. Despite giving up some quality assets, they acquired a 100+ point scorer approaching his prime years. Everyone also agreed that the Flames received decent value in return, especially for a player that everyone knew wouldn’t play another game for his former team.
MacKenzie Weegar has continued his excellent play with the Flames, putting up his first 20-goal season and a career high 52 points this past season. He’s played himself into an elite level of defenders.
The problem is Jonathan Huberdeau. At the time of the deal, he was a 100-point scorer with the Presidents Trophy-winning Panthers. If the Flames were going to win, he would need to be a huge part of it.
Instead, Huberdeau has been a middle-six forward since arriving in Calgary. He’s posted 55 and 52-point seasons, a huge drop from his production in Florida. Even more concerning is the complete lack of goal scoring. He scored 15 goals in 2022-2023 and followed that up with a disappointing 12 goals last year.
Meanwhile in the sunshine state, the Panthers have a franchise caliber forward in Matthew Tkachuk. He came out firing his first season with 40 goals and 109 points, and had an 88-point regular season this past year.
Where he’s been invaluable is in the postseason. His two-way effectiveness and peskiness in addition to elite scoring led the way for the Panthers. He scored 24 points in 20 games during their 2023 run, and recorded 20 points this past postseason en route to his first Stanley Cup.
The move drastically altered both franchises. The Panthers went all-in and it’s paid off in two years. The Flames are in rebuilding mode, despite their best efforts, and that looks to continue for a few more seasons. Looking back on that trade two years later, it’s easy to see who won that deal.
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Publish date : 2024-07-23 09:00:01
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