Sportsnet columnist Eric Francis expects the Calgary Flames to trade Matthew Tkachuk as early as this week.
He has made the remarks on ESPN 101, a St. Louis radio station.
“It’s very likely that Matthew Tkachuk has let the Flames know he’s not interested in signing a long-term contract. Tkachuk did not request arbitration, the team itself requested it to protect itself against a hostile offer.
“The reason is simple: even if they match the hostile offer, they wouldn’t be able to trade it for a year afterwards and they risk losing it for nothing in the free agent market.”
According to Francis, an exchange thus became inevitable.
“I think that will all settle this week.”
The Flames must already recover from the loss of Johnny Gaudreau, who chose to continue his career in Columbus, with the Blue Jackets, to everyone’s surprise.
If the Flames couldn’t get anything back from Gaudreau, they could get some high-quality items for the services of Tkachuk, whose rights they control due to his restricted free agent status.