[GioforPM]

Originally Posted by SportsJunky

Here is an article about Treliving's decision to keep Frolik (for just a few months as it turned out) which resulted in Calgary having to bridge Tkachuk instead of possibly inking a long-term deal. https://thewincolumn.ca/2023/04/11/b...algary-flames/

That article is goofy. Tkachuk's contract was signed Sept. 25, 2019, after a threatened holdout. He got $7M, the highest salary on the team, the first one to pass Gio, after a season in which he was very good, but still 4th on the team in scoring (with too good but not elite seasons prior). There is no mention of what Tkachuk was asking for a longer term or even if he wanted one. I suspect he was asking for 5 or 6 years, like Gaudreau got, not 8 like Gio.

The article doesn't mention that Frolik had a 10 team NTC. That he was coming off a career best season considering his games not played due to injury. And that his contract ended after that season, so I doubt it was the impediment to a Tkachuk deal. The impediment was Neal. Plus long term committed money to Gaudreau, Monahan, Lindholm, Hanifin and Backlund, and, to a lesser extent, Ryan.