[Trade] Tkachuk (8 yrs x $9.5 mil) + `25 4th to FLA for Huberdeau, Weegar, Schwindt & `25 1st

[Rtown]

What an incredible young man. When you look at him compared to the 2 they lost this summer how can you not call that a win.
He coulda easily been like, I don’t wanna be there, I’m not happy about the trade, I’ll be outta here first chance I get.
Instead it’s “I wanna play for a team that wants me and Calgary wanted me” and it feels (right now anyways) like he’s ready to run through a brick wall for this team and this city.
What a breath of fresh air coming from a professional athlete. I didn’t think I could be more pumped for this season. But wow. Drop the puck. LFG.

[Bingo]

I just hope we get the blow by blow on this trade some day. I'd love to know how it started, and how pieces moved in and out like one of those Brian Burke stories.

Did the Flames target Huberdeau? Or did they target prospects and had the Panthers insist on exchanging relatively equal money? Did the Panthers start with one of the two big pieces and a cap dump and Treliving moved him to a better package? Was Schwindt in early? Late?

[The Cobra]

Originally Posted by Bingo

I just hope we get the blow by blow on this trade some day. I'd love to know how it started, and how pieces moved in and out like one of those Brian Burke stories.

Did the Flames target Huberdeau? Or did they target prospects and had the Panthers insist on exchanging relatively equal money? Did the Panthers start with one of the two big pieces and a cap dump and Treliving moved him to a better package? Was Schwindt in early? Late?

Since the Panthers had huge cap issues (and still do), we can assume that they needed to move out significant cap to make it work.

And since Calgary was not in any rebuilding mode, they were willing to play that game.

Since Tkachuk was getting the most valuable piece in the trade (8 years of a very your star player), and Calgary would need to sign older players Huberdeau and Weegar to long term contracts which would likely cover a number of non-prime years, they got the bonus of the first round pick and the decent propsect.

TBH, lots of this trade floored me, but the addition of the first round pick and the decent prospect is what really stunned me. And still does.

[MrMike]

Originally Posted by Bingo

I just hope we get the blow by blow on this trade some day. I'd love to know how it started, and how pieces moved in and out like one of those Brian Burke stories.

Did the Flames target Huberdeau? Or did they target prospects and had the Panthers insist on exchanging relatively equal money? Did the Panthers start with one of the two big pieces and a cap dump and Treliving moved him to a better package? Was Schwindt in early? Late?

It would be a damn shame if Treliving doesn’t have some sort of book after he’s done being a GM. We might be lucky and get these stories in a Conroy book someday too.

[FanIn80]

Originally Posted by Jiri Hrdina

Well I don't want to get into a tiff about it but I think Barkov is, overall, more talented than Johnny. But talent is a broad term and everyone's definition of it is different

For me talent includes combinations of size, skill, skating, and overall play.
If we are talking about JUST skill then yes I would say Johnny has more skill. But overall talent? I'll take Barkov all day long.

Semantics I suppose. But 'tis the time of year.

I honestly believe Gaudreau would be Datsyuk 2.0 if he was a few inches taller and maybe 20lbs heavier. Johnny is very, very good defensively for his size... he's just forced to rely on his speed and stick instead of also being able to use his body in any meaningful way.

[dino7c]

Originally Posted by FanIn80

I honestly believe Gaudreau would be Datsyuk 2.0 if he was a few inches taller and maybe 20lbs heavier. Johnny is very, very good defensively for his size... he's just forced to rely on his speed and stick instead of also being able to use his body in any meaningful way.

I think this is a recent thing since Sutter taught him how to play properly and made him do it

[MrMike]

Originally Posted by dino7c

I think this is a recent thing since Sutter taught him how to play properly

I can’t wait to see what Huberdeau is going to become, with his size and chip on his shoulder to take a next step.

[GioforPM]

Originally Posted by dino7c

I think this is a recent thing since Sutter taught him how to play properly and made him do it

Plus he was (for one year only) a good defensive WINGER. That's a much easier job than being a good defensive centre like Datsyuk or Bergevin.

[FanIn80]

Originally Posted by dino7c

I think this is a recent thing since Sutter taught him how to play properly

He was just as good under Jerry York at BC. I just think we (he) had a string of coaches here who had him focusing more on other things.

He loved playing for York and (if you believe what he said) he also loved playing for Sutter. I get the impression that York and Sutter are similar coaches (maybe not in personality or methods, but definitely in focus and expectations).

[FanIn80]

Originally Posted by GioforPM

...a good defensive centre like Datsyuk...

Dammit. Why do I always think Datsyuk was a LW?

[Paulie Walnuts]

Originally Posted by GioforPM

Plus he was (for one year only) a good defensive WINGER. That's a much easier job than being a good defensive centre like Datsyuk or Bergevin.

The years he had good seasons he backchecked and played well, but I don't think he was ever as good as last season or ever will be.

I also thought him and Tkachuk once again floundered in the playoffs especially on the defensive side of things. I think the comment from John Stevens was pretty telling that the team lost its way when certain players started playing for individual stats.

Sutter also stopped himself yesterday, but he was pretty much saying I would rather have top centermen over wingers.

[Bingo]

Originally Posted by FanIn80

I honestly believe Gaudreau would be Datsyuk 2.0 if he was a few inches taller and maybe 20lbs heavier. Johnny is very, very good defensively for his size... he's just forced to rely on his speed and stick instead of also being able to use his body in any meaningful way.

Not sure I agree.

All last season I kept hearing about how well defensively he was playing so I started looking, and really there wasn't much there.

His decisions ... pucks deep, not trying to beat guys one on one at the blueline in low percentage positions ... last guy back straddling the blueline ... those things improved a tonne.

But to me he was still a puck watcher in his own zone.

[Bingo]

Originally Posted by Paulie Walnuts

The years he had good seasons he backchecked and played well, but I don't think he was ever as good as last season or ever will be.

I also thought him and Tkachuk once again floundered in the playoffs especially on the defensive side of things. I think the comment from John Stevens was pretty telling that the team lost its way when certain players started playing for individual stats.

Sutter also stopped himself yesterday, but he was pretty much saying I would rather have top centermen over wingers.

I don't think they floundered. They changed their game.

That top line created a bunch of offence by getting in on the cycle. Against Edmonton after game two they no longer had two guys deep for fear of getting ripped apart on the counter attack.

[Paulie Walnuts]

Originally Posted by Bingo

Not sure I agree.

All last season I kept hearing about how well defensively he was playing so I started looking, and really there wasn't much there.

His decisions ... pucks deep, not trying to beat guys one on one at the blueline in low percentage positions ... last guy back straddling the blueline ... those things improved a tonne.

But to me he was still a puck watcher in his own zone.

I think people think he was a defensive juggernaut because of his +/- improvement.

He wasn't awful, but he wasn't great either.

[GioforPM]

Originally Posted by Bingo

I don't think they floundered. They changed their game.

That top line created a bunch of offence by getting in on the cycle. Against Edmonton after game two they no longer had two guys deep for fear of getting ripped apart on the counter attack.

Yeah, they sort of backslid into trying to go all offence to compete with Edmonton. It's a bad strategy. It's better to try and make Edmonton a one and done offence and counter them hard, because their backchecking sucks.

[Paulie Walnuts]

Originally Posted by Bingo

I don't think they floundered. They changed their game.

That top line created a bunch of offence by getting in on the cycle. Against Edmonton after game two they no longer had two guys deep for fear of getting ripped apart on the counter attack.

Yeah that's why I said on the defensive side, not chance creation.

[The Cobra]

Originally Posted by Paulie Walnuts

I think people think he was a defensive juggernaut because of his +/- improvement.

He wasn't awful, but he wasn't great either.

If you read the threads on his +/- prior to him leaving as a UFA, the consensus was he was a spectacular defensive player this year.

[Bingo]

Originally Posted by The Cobra

If you read the threads on his +/- prior to him leaving as a UFA, the consensus was he was a spectacular defensive player this year.

God I hope not.

I'm pretty sure I never ran up his defensive prowess.

He came a long way, I certainly wasn't trying to take that away from him. But as I said I think his choices on the attack was more his defensive improvement (not turning pucks over, putting pucks in dangerous places) than what he did inside his own blueline.

[PepsiFree]

It's ok if people hyped him up before and are ragging on him now because he was a Flame before and now he's a nobody and this is sports fandom not debate club.

[Sandman]

Sutter said that he thought Johnny was the team's best checker. That's on a team with guys like Backlund and Lindholm.