Quote:
Originally Posted by GoatMonkey
I disagree. I think chuckles was gone the moment he signed the bridge, and the cards fell just right for him to bail early.
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I don't think that it was necessarily Tkachuk's plan to leave. Apparently he was happy to sign an 8 year deal, but to bring back the same team, Treliving opted for a bridge instead. Maybe Treliving didn't want the 8x9 (rumoured at the time), as it was too much risk for Tkachuk? Treliving played hardball with the RFAs to the point most of his RFA re-signings were trotted out as big wins for the organization, while the UFA re-signings were big losses.
Anyway, that bridge did, however, give him all the power in the world, and after Gaudreau left, he exercised that power. There were a tonne of posts in that signing thread that worried about it.
I think after Gaudreau left, it just helped push Tkachuk in that direction. Maybe he made up his mind after the covid seasons when he couldn't cross the border? Maybe he realized that Calgary needed another high-end player or two, not one less, and felt that the team was taking too big of a step back? Probably a combination of things, including being able to pick his spot. Heck, maybe Bennett got in his ear about how fun life was in Florida, and how the move was a huge breath of fresh air for him.
All I know is that he was willing to sign here originally long-term, was instead given a contract that made him a (for all intents and purposes) a UFA rather than an RFA, and he exercised that leverage to the maximum.