Tkachuk on his decision

[FlamesAddiction]

His comment finally debunks the idea that Treliving was some kind of wizard for getting Tkachuk to sign a shorter bridge deal in order to keep the cap manageable or whatever the bizarre reasons were that some people thought it benefited the team. It was obviously Tkachuk’s insistence.

Honestly though, good for him for controlling his future. He never demanded a trade or refused to play. He just took advantage of everything that was within his power to control.

[ben voyonsdonc]

Tkachuk didn’t want to spend his final RFA year playing without Gaudreau. He didn’t want to sign the QO here and then put up a 60 pt season which could cost himself millions on the open market. Moving him now was good for him and for the team.

[topfiverecords]

Originally Posted by Poison

I can honestly say, with this return, that id take what we have now with the assets and cap room then what we all prayed for locking up Johnny for 10+ and Chucky for 9+.
Period. Full stop.

Not gonna burn his jersey?

[greyshep]

Originally Posted by PuckDemon

Treliving said today that the Gaudreau decision wasn't a factor at all in Chucky's decision to leave. If that's actually true, it means that Chucky didn't have confidence in the way the Flames were built going forward, even with both him and Johnny re-signing. He looked at it like a GM and pulled the plug on this core.

I honestly believe Treliving was just taking the high road with that comment. Which was smart, people are already upset enough about how Johnny left us hanging and started the dominos.

[liamenator]

Originally Posted by FlamesAddiction

His comment finally debunks the idea that Treliving was some kind of wizard for getting Tkachuk to sign a shorter bridge deal in order to keep the cap manageable or whatever the bizarre reasons were that some people thought it benefited the team ...

What thinking person ever made this argument?

[Poison]

Originally Posted by topfiverecords

Not gonna burn his jersey?

Never had Chucky.
Ill wait to see if #13 can be repurposed

[PepsiFree]

Originally Posted by Mathgod

lol

Chucky gave the Flames 6 quality years of service, established himself as a star, and worked with the team to maximize the return they could get for him. Equating this situation to Fox is beyond absurd.

I think the point to take away is that all of these players probably reflect well in the same light. Whether you want to pretend they were respectful heroes or dishonourable villains, or anything in between those completely ridiculous ends of the spectrum, the only real absurdity is the people who can’t equate them.

People are lauding Tkachuk for “working with the team to maximise the return” which is a total fantasy. He worked with the team because he wanted out as quickly as possible and this was the best way to capitalise on his big season in his preferred destination. If doing it differently would have helped him more, he would have done it differently.

Fox, Tkachuk, and Gaudreau all abandoned the team. There were problems with the way each of them did it, there were also good things with the way each of them did it. In the end the whole “this guy is GOOD and HONOURABLE while this other guy is BAD and DISRESPECTFUL!” narrative when the margins between them are so thin once everything is tallied up just comes across as childish.

They’re gone now. None of them deserve boos… or they all do… or they all deserve thanks… or… you get the picture.

[dino7c]

Originally Posted by Tacoman

The two things that happen in the playoffs is that it gets more physical and the pace goes faster. The last six years have shown that having your two best players with fatal flaws in those two categories was a recipe for disappointment. Chucky can feel he’s got a better chance to win elsewhere but I also think we have a better chance to win with bigger, faster players like we’ve added.

Yeah we will see how that goes with they are playing Tampa in round one and the Flames are playing the Kings or something

That division is something else...GL chuck

[blankall]

Sorry Matthew. You're not winning anything with that defence. They also just sent one of their best players to Calgary to aquire your contract.

[FanIn80]

Originally Posted by blankall

Sorry Matthew. You're not winning anything with that defence. They also just sent one of their best players to Calgary to aquire your contract.

Two of their best players.

[btimbit]

It's Keith Tkachuk's son, I guessed the minute he was drafted he wasn't going to be a lifer in one spot. But he handled it well, was a pro, was honest and upfront with the team and gave them a chance to work with it. Gotta respect that.

He's smart, he knew his best chance for a good contract was to sign one this year so didn't want to wait until UFA to do it. But he made it public he'd like to re-sign with his new team to also keep his trade value for the Flames. I can't be mad at that, the guy owes us nothing and it all worked out well for everybody

[FlamesAddiction]

Originally Posted by liamenator

What thinking person ever made this argument?

I’m not going to dig up the posts to shame people, but when it was mentioned several times before that Tkachuk negotiated a contract that would make him a UFA at 25, something practically unheard of, Treliving apologists would try to paint it as something Treliving wanted. It never made sense.

[Cecil Terwilliger]

Originally Posted by Mathgod

lol

Chucky gave the Flames 6 quality years of service, established himself as a star, and worked with the team to maximize the return they could get for him. Equating this situation to Fox is beyond absurd.

Also Chucky kept it to straight business. These posts crying that he turned his back on the flames and bailed are hilarious. So much salt.

Sure, Johnny clearly was closer to staying and seemingly liked Calgary more but he screwed up the whole process and acted unprofessionally.

Ultimately I can appreciate the fact Chucky was up front and honest, even if he was more ruthless than Johnny.

Athletes request trades all the time, I’m not insulted in the slightest when a player acts selfishly with respect to their career.

[KenHouston]

I really think we dodged a bullet with not just him but JG. Let me just speak to MT now though. Decent player when he is playing on a line that can dominate. When he ain’t surrounded by talent he can’t elevate his line. In London he had Marner and Dvorak. This past year Elias and JG. Has maturity issues and personality issue possibly? Maybe that’s why the C was never on the table for him and why his dad in an interview said he couldn’t understand why he was always back in his Hotel room playing video games online instead of hanging with the boys! Who knows, maybe I’m totally wrong but I can say in my opinion I’m. Very happy we don’t have 20 m committed to Johnny and Matt for the next 8 years. They just aren’t and weren’t good enough to go the distance. I still think JG cheating to leave the zone on the OT goal was a clear indicator of why he was over valued. Thanks and let’s see what the new core can do!

[Huntingwhale]

Originally Posted by dino7c

Well he flat out said it wasn't and kinda threw Gaudreau under the bus for how he handled his departure

Yup. Pretty much handled it the completely opposite way Gaudreau did. Say what you want about Tkachuk as a player on and off the ice. But he's been a consumate professional since day 1. I'll always be grateful he had Keith as his father to show him the ropes. I have zero qualms with how this went down. Tkackuk gave the fans one final present as he left, and he'll always have the fanbase's respect for that.

I'm not as resentful to Gaudreau as others are, but Tkachuk outclassed him here by a longshot and deserves credit for it.

[Textcritic]

Originally Posted by Johnny Makarov

I defended Goodrow for the past 6 years against posters like Estrada and Timbit who wanted to run him out of town since year 2...

You can't even spell his name correctly.

Sent from my SM-G986W using Tapatalk

[dino7c]

Originally Posted by blankall

Sorry Matthew. You're not winning anything with that defence. They also just sent one of their best players to Calgary to aquire your contract.

Yeah all this talk of the Flames needing to have a better season to have won the trade (which is BS) but what about the Panthers?

Presidents cup and 3rd round or its a loss by that same logic?

[Philly06Cup]

Originally Posted by Mathgod

lol

Chucky gave the Flames 6 quality years of service, established himself as a star, and worked with the team to maximize the return they could get for him. Equating this situation to Fox is beyond absurd.

I'm tired of everyone chirping Johnny for 'disrespecting the Flames' for taking his time deciding where to play, and everyone lauding Tkachuk for telling the Flames to beat it so quickly and assuredly (!) as if that is something to be respected.


"F Johnny", he ruined his legacy, screw him, he's a terrible person, boo him, throw his jersey on the ice when he comes back, wish him all the worst in Columbus.. so much toxic garbage on this board because he took his time in deciding where to play. As if that's the most awful thing any hockey player could do. As if his indecision set the franchise back 5 years and cost them 10 first round picks.



Then all the sentiment around Tkachuk is, gosh darn, what a great guy for telling Calgary to beat it so quickly! He wanted out all this time, and didn't hesitate to let us know! How admirable and charming.


Blech.

[Johnny Makarov]

Originally Posted by Textcritic

You can't even spell his name correctly.

Sent from my SM-G986W using Tapatalk

.... ummm yes I have. Ever since the loser bolted for Columbus. He gets the Tom Erixon treatment.

Thank god I didn't choose Sergei Gaudreau for my name.

[Calgary4LIfe]

I won't call either player a liar here.


I think they both lived up to their contractual obligations.



Gaudreau put more 'emotion' into his decision citing he was pulled in two different directions and loved being a Flame and living here. I won't call BS to his face and boo him because he found that decision harder.


Tkachuk was more 'mercenary' - was all about winning in his rationale and it seemed he found it to be a much easier decision in not wanting to be a Flame or live in Calgary, but Calgary got assets back so I am supposed to like Tkachuk more? That doesn't compute with me either.


I stopped thinking of hockey superstars as 'heroes' when I was a kid in the 1990's. It is all about the money and the success. They will always choose both as much as they can get. That's fair. Once I look at it like that, it doesn't bother me personally that they choose to leave, whatever reasons they choose to cite.



I feel that both Tkachuk and Gaudreau played hard as Flames, and entertained me. They didn't disparage the city I live in nor the organization that I cheer for. In the end, they acted with what was their right to do, and left. If they demanded a trade and held out, then I would boo them. If they purposefully 'gave up' in their time here, or acted inappropriately somehow... but neither did. For me, I don't know why there is only one "Thank you" thread - just because the timing of everything helped get assets. They both chose to leave for a different team. Neither one of them will be booed by me on their return. I am not sure I will stand up and applaud either one like Iginla, but neither one gets booed. They will both go down as two of the best Flames of all time, but two that also left before they 'should have' I guess.


What I am more concerned with is why the rebuild failed. I think it is fair to say that now, considering only Backlund is left. That's a topic for another thread.


I do think that this team had at different points the right personnel in the organization that SHOULD HAVE been much more successful, but at no point did they have enough of them come through. I think winning and success helps players stay in an organization. I think that Gaudreau's decision to leave didn't outright make Tkachuk leave, but I do think that it made the decision for Tkachuk an easier one to make. He was having a ball hitting 100 points and being part of a 'winner', and once the Flames failed in the playoffs, things came crashing down again.


Anyway, that's life. Sometimes players want to move. They left without pouting and sitting out. That makes it easier to remember how much I enjoyed watching them as a Flames' fan, even if they did end up leaving for different organizations. I am glad that they both went to Eastern teams without much in the way of any history between their organizations and Calgary.


Now I am just focused on this season and the plan for the rest of the off-season, and the longer-term plan.