Quote:
Originally Posted by powderjunkie
I know BUF has a long history of bone-headed moves, but I don't see them jumping at Tkachuk with his road to free agency.
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Yeah, probably not Buffalo. It's about as risky to them as it would be for the Flames to keep him until the RFA hammer drops.
The best bet would be to trade him to a team that is confident that they can sign him to a more suitable long term extension before the QO is due. A team that is likely on Tkachuk's short-list.
I'm thinking NYR, L.A., St. Louis, and maybe Pittsburgh. Possibly even Dallas, Chicago, or Tampa. The large markets or teams that have a history of winning.
I don't think Columbus or Buffalo would be down for the flight risk any more than Calgary should be (or any Canadian team for that matter).
I like Tkachuk and I think he is a mature professional. I doubt he would ever flat out say he doesn't want to play in Canada, but I suspect if given the choice, he would leave for the U.S. His father is very entrenched in the American hockey zeitgeist having represented his country at multiple levels and being inducted into the USA hockey hall of fame. I was also living in Winnipeg when he played there and recall him pissing off the fanbase by saying the Jets should move to an American market so they could pay him what he was asking while holding out for a contract. Maybe he was right at the time, but it showed a lack of empathy, even disdain. I know Matt isn't his dad, but I would not be surprised if he has similar feelings.
Gaudreau might be a little different actually having some Canadian heritage.