The Tkachuk family sat down at the Butcher’s Block restaurant in Long Branch, NJ on Friday. They were celebrating son Brady’s engagement the night before, and now the table of 12 was waiting to find out which NHL team would sweep son Matthew off their feet.
“All of a sudden, he and my mom (Chantal) get up, and at that point, I had no idea what was going on,” Brady Tkachuk said. “He was on the phone, just chatting, and I knew he was probably picking up some steam. Then he comes back, pulls me aside and says, ‘I just got traded to Florida and signed there.’
“It’s like, ‘I’m sorry for doing this today.’ I was hoping it would be tomorrow when we get back to St. Louis. I said, “Honestly, Matthew, this is pretty amazing and made the weekend so much better.”
After Tkachuk’s trade to Florida from Calgary and his eight-year, $76 million contract extension was completed, the All-Star forward broke the news to the rest of the game that he hoped not to overshadow his brother, who plays in Ottawa. The Senators signed him to a seven-year, $57.5 million contract in 2021.
“I was really happy for Brady,” Matthew Tkachuk said. “The week was all about Brady. I’m not going to lie, I was probably on my phone a little more than I would have liked, but he understands.”
Everyone understood, but now it was a matter of Blues fans understanding how Tkachuk, 24, a native of St. Louisan and a player entering the prime of his career, he escaped. The Blues seemed to be the favorites, and yet he heads to Sunrise, Florida. The Panthers sent forward Jonathan Huberdeau, defenseman MacKenzie Weegar, prospect Cole Schwindt and a conditional 2025 first-round pick to the Flames for the forward.
Athletic subscribers: What we know about the Flames trading Matthew Tkachuk to the Panthers.
— Jeremy Rutherford (@jprutherford) July 23, 2022
It’s been a whirlwind week for Tkachuk, after he notified Calgary he would not re-sign a long-term extension and provided a list of clubs the Flames could work with on a trade.
“My six years in Calgary were some of the best years of my life so far, but I felt that at my age, at my position and with everything in life and hockey, it was time for a change.” Tkachuk said.
The list had a limited number of potential destinations, and would soon be narrowed down to Florida, the Carolinas and St. Louis, according to a source familiar with the negotiations.
“We had a list of teams, a very, very small list,” Tkachuk said. “I will not make comments out of respect for them or my situation, if they were there. But I’m sure people could probably put two and two together.”
The Blues were an attractive option — his father, Keith, played for them in the early 2000s and today works for the organization as a college scout — and they were the team he grew up watching.
“Being the hometown team and a team I played for when I was younger, they’ve got a really good team and it’s a great place to play, so obviously there was some interest from me.” , Tkachuk said. “Could I have imagined myself there? Yes.
“Getting to know them a little bit, they have an amazing ownership and a great general manager, and talking to some guys with their team that I don’t normally talk to, it was great to learn about them. But playing at home, I’m sure all the hometown kids will say, it’s special for you, but it’s more special for the people who brought you here.”
His little brother could understand the slight apprehension.
“Yeah, you know, it’s pretty tough,” Brady Tkachuk said. “Just little things. He knows a lot of people here and he’d probably be asked for tickets and probably more events, which he’d love to do. But it probably would have been a different experience and a little crazy.”
But it seems it never got that far because offers from St. Louis and Carolina were no match for what Calgary eventually received from Florida. A source said the Blues’ proposal included Vladimir Tarasenko, Marco Scandella and a high draft pick; The team officially declined comment.
The Flames’ interest in Tarasenko, or lack thereof, was a problem. He only has one season left on his contract, though they traded for two players, Huberdeau and Weegar, who are also entering the final year of their deals. One could also question whether Tarasenko would have waived his no-trade clause to play in Calgary; his agent, Paul Theofanous, did not immediately return a message.
As for Carolina, a source said the Hurricanes put together a package that included 23-year-old forward Martin Necas.
Then he never approached St. Louis?
“I don’t really know the answer to that, to be honest,” Tkachuk said. “I had a handful of teams that I was interested in, and after talking to Florida more and more, I realized that was probably the best fit for me.
“They were the team that probably made the biggest push at the end and ended up getting a deal. It happened really fast with Florida, so I don’t even know how close anybody really got.”
The Blues’ efforts came with a sales pitch from Robert Thomas, Tkachuk’s close friend who recently signed an eight-year, $65 million extension. The two were recently in Boston together for a golf tournament.
“I don’t think he wants to throw it, but he talked about it a lot,” Tkachuk said. “He is a great player, and I would be great with him. He will have a great rest of his career. It is one of the big parts of the future in St. Louis, and I’m sure a lot of guys will sign in St. Louis for the chance to play with him, but I’m really excited to go to Florida. The talent they have there is also very special.”
“This is one of the most fascinating trades of the salary cap era and will be scrutinized for years to come. Credit to both clubs for creativity and guts.”
— @coreypronman @TheAthleticNHL broke the Matthew Tkachuk trade ⤵️ pic.twitter.com/rkVKKhKpeC
— The Athletic (@TheAthletic) July 23, 2022
The chance to play with center Aleksander Barkov, the 26-year-old who had 88 points last season and was a Selke Trophy finalist, along with the advantages of life in South Florida, weighed heavily in the decision .
“I’m really, really happy where I’m at, and I know where I’m at right now is the best place for me,” Tkachuk said. “It’s the best fit and it just ticked every box. First of all, it’s a competitive team. They have a great culture and a winning culture and that’s something I really want to be a part of. They’ve had great teams the last few years and they’re not over the hump yet, but I think I can help them with that.
“Then I think about lifestyle. This is a contract where I hope to be more than eight years. I hope to be able to play another 15 years and with this team for the rest of my career, somewhere where eventually I’m going to start a family. So just looking at the lifestyle and everything, it’s a very attractive place to come and play in. So it’s very, very, very exciting, something that (happened) very quickly, but I’ve had a smile on my face for, I think, 48 hours straight.”
But Tkachuk realizes that while he’s smiling, there are a few frowns in St. Louis. He could hear the support from Blues fans last week.
“I could,” Tkachuk said. “I was actually out of town for most of it, but even then I could feel the love and I could feel how passionate they are and how much they wanted me. Hopefully they can cheer me on every game that play this year, except against the Blues, I understand that perfectly.
“I realize that there are many people who have followed me, who enjoy watching me and who wanted me to be part of their team. This is the ultimate compliment. So I can’t thank them enough for the love they’ve shown and shown me throughout my career. It’s nice to know that I have some fans in another city. That doesn’t happen to me a lot in the league.”
(Photo by Matthew Tkachuk: Aaron Doster/USA Today)