For Calgary Flames general manager Brad Treliving, calling the team’s offseason a “roller coaster” is an understatement.
From the departures of Johnny Gaudreau and Matthew Tkachuk to the arrivals of Jonathan Huberdeau, Nazem Kadri and MacKenzie Weegar, the Flames’ roster has been revamped after a season where they reached the second round of the playoffs.
The Flames weren’t surprised by the possibility of Gaudreau entering the free agent market or Tkachuk demanding a trade.
“We talked all year, we prepared for all the possibilities,” Treliving told our colleague Pierre LeBrun in an interview for the site. The Athletic. “But ultimately our goal for the off-season was to get both players on new contracts. We got down to it shortly after the end of the season. We contacted both sides and tried to be aggressive to get both players under contract.”
Gaudreau told Treliving the night before the July 12 free agent market opened that he would not be returning to Calgary. He eventually landed with the Columbus Blue Jackets, who signed him to a seven-year, $68.25 million contract.
“It was tough, honestly, really tough,” Treliving said of Gaudreau’s call. “It’s hard to lose good players.”
Gaudreau had 40 goals and 115 points last season, while Tkachuk had 42 goals and 104 points.
As for Tkachuk, Treliving turned his trade request into a super deal with the Florida Panthers, receiving star winger Jonathan Huberdeau, top defenseman MacKenzie Weegar, a protected first-round draft pick in return. 2025 and hopeful Cole Schwindt.
Anxious to avoid finding themselves in the same situation 12 months later, when Huberdeau could have become a free agent without compensation, the Flames concluded an $84 million pact over eight years with the hockey player from Saint-Jérôme, less two weeks after acquiring it.
Weegar is entering the last season of his current contract and his agent Matthew Ebbs is confident that he will eventually agree on an extension with Calgary.
The Flames capped off their offseason with the signing of Kadri, who is fresh off winning his first Stanley Cup with the Colorado Avalanche. The Flames offered him a 7-year, $49 million contract on August 18, but first they had to free up space on their payroll, selling center Sean Monahan and his $6.375 million, as well as a conditional first-round pick to the Montreal Canadiens.
The Flames may have finished last season atop the Pacific Division, but Treliving isn’t ready to predict how his club will fare this year.
“We had time to decompress. What makes me enthusiastic is that our players are enthusiastic. But we haven’t even started camp yet. We are still far from knowing what kind of team we are.
“Let’s hit the brakes and see how it all goes.”
