The Matthew Tkachuk contract negotiations

[Ped]

Are you certain Colorado would match? I'm not. Colorado with all their cap space has not simply handed Rantanen a blank cheque—he is still (by all reports) just as far away from a contract as are Tkachuk and Point. If Rantanen signed an offer sheet and it was in considerable excess of what Sakic has budgeted and is willing to spend, then the Avalanche most likely let him walk and accept the picks.

Fairly certain, although obviously I'm no insider with the Avs. But they have the space, he's an incredible player, and they just had a promising playoffs. I can't see them giving up their second best player just for draft picks.


Not wanting to pay him his current asking price is a lot different than refusing to when forced by another hand. I'm sure in most cases where teams matched that it wasn't what they wanted to pay, but they did (Weber, Fedorov, etc).

[GioforPM]

Originally Posted by Scroopy Noopers

Just from the highlighted points earlier that the Flames are in a crunch. Especially if Marner actually received 2 as his agent said after the deal was done. Aho got one. I don’t see how you wouldn’t offer sheet Tkachuk.

Aho got a silly one from Montreal, who was trying to do something silly to a division rival. And Marner probably got a realistic offer but knew Dubas would cave.

Look at the teams with the cap space and the picks to make an offer sheet at the level that would conceivably attract Tkachuk. The list is pretty small.

[Canada 02]

Before you say you would accept Tkachuk for four 1st round draft picks, take a look at the Flames 1st rounders in the last twenty years and take any sliding window of 4 consecutive first founders and ask how many of those 4 consecutive picks would you trade for Tkachuk?

4 picks sounds good until you pick Jankowski, Baertchi, Erixon and Nemisz with those picks

[jayswin]

Originally Posted by Canada 02

Before you say you would accept Tkachuk for four 1st round draft picks, take a look at the Flames 1st rounders in the last twenty years and take any sliding window of 4 consecutive first founders and ask how many of those 4 consecutive picks would you trade for Tkachuk?

4 picks sounds good until you pick Jankowski, Baertchi, Erixon and Nemisz with those picks

Yeah, it's almost a guarantee that you'll only get two first round worthy players out of four, if not less. And that's if you even get top 15 or better picks.

[pepper24]

Originally Posted by jayswin

Yeah, it's almost a guarantee that you'll only get two first round worthy players out of four, if not less. And that's if you even get top 15 or better picks.

Treliving can also use the cap space to find his next Raymond, Brouwer or Neal/Lucic in the summer. Don't forget about the cap space.

[dino7c]

Yeah four first rounders is not as good as it sounds

[heep223]

Offer sheets should be made public as a rule. Adds to the drama

[Macho0978]

Originally Posted by dino7c

Yeah four first rounders is not as good as it sounds

But I think part of the equation was if Columbus signed Tkachuk. Losing panarin duchene and bobrovsky but adding Tkachuk would still be enticing to take the picks. Also assuming the cap hit was 10 mil and leaving columbus in a bad spot over the next 4 years. Jones and werenski have 3 years dubious 1. Have to think 1 pick could be top 5 which most years flames dont pick that high

[DeluxeMoustache]

Originally Posted by dino7c

Yeah four first rounders is not as good as it sounds

Depends who is picking.

Look at the Flames first and second rounders since 2015:
Andersson (53)
Kylington (60)
Tkachuk (6)
Parsons (54)
Dube (56)
Valimaki (16)
Pelletier (26)

That’s not too shabby.

[Vinny01]

Columbus would have an elite first line and first pairing if they added Tkachuk but I am not convinced of their depth. They also are not a destination spot so the Flames might be in a decent spot with 4 picks.

Personally I think Tkachuk is a franchise type winger so a 7 year deal could be something I would be alright with them matching but if the Jackets went 5 years $10M I would let him go for the picks.

If Columbus is giving up 4 picks though they will want a 7 year term with whichever RFA they offer sheet.

[MrMike]

Originally Posted by Vinny01

Columbus would have an elite first line and first pairing if they added Tkachuk but I am not convinced of their depth. They also are not a destination spot so the Flames might be in a decent spot with 4 picks.

Personally I think Tkachuk is a franchise type winger so a 7 year deal could be something I would be alright with them matching but if the Jackets went 5 years $10M I would let him go for the picks.

If Columbus is giving up 4 picks though they will want a 7 year term with whichever RFA they offer sheet.

I think that would only be 2 firsts a second and a third then. That would be a tough decision but have to just match.

[browna]

And if you are taking 4 1st rounders, 2 if them turn out great, 1 so so and one a dud, it's 5 years at least until they all hit their stride together, and this team looks a lot different in that time. But if another team is desperate, not sure if the Flames would pay $10m for him in any universe, even if they had the space.

The one thing with Tkachuk, and maybe there are stats to prove otherwise, but his effectiveness in drawing penalties seemed to take a pretty deep dive last year. Refs were watching him a fair bit more closely last season and not giving him the same benefit of the doubt as they did previous years.

[GioforPM]

Originally Posted by dino7c

Yeah four first rounders is not as good as it sounds

It’s not just a consideration of that. It’s also the contract you have to match. A successful offer sheet likely has to be an overpay/under term for Tkachuk to accept.

[Canada 02]

The player you pick with the fourth 1st rounder is 12 years old
NHL GM's like to stake their careers on potential 5 years away
By the time that 12 year old plays a game Tkachuk has scored an additional 400 points in the NHL

[Macho0978]

Originally Posted by Canada 02

The player you pick with the fourth 1st rounder is 12 years old
NHL GM's like to stake their careers on potential 5 years away
By the time that 12 year old plays a game Tkachuk has scored an additional 400 points in the NHL

Imo Tkachuk has a negative value at 10 mil. No question you have to trade brodie or frolik to match. But who goes next year? Pretty sure the last first is 14 years old too. Having 2 firsts a year for 4 years is nice to have. Nobody is saying you can't trade some of them

[Vinny01]

Originally Posted by MrMike

I think that would only be 2 firsts a second and a third then. That would be a tough decision but have to just match.

Agreed I thought that was 4 1sts but I was wrong. Flames would have to match that.

[GullFoss]

I'd offer him any of the below except the 4 year option.

2 x 6.0
3 x 6.25
4 x 6.5
5 x 7.25
6 x 7.75
7 x 8.25
8 x 9.00

[Snuffleupagus]

Originally Posted by GullFoss

I'd offer him any of the below except the 4 year option.

2 x 6.0
3 x 6.25
4 x 6.5
5 x 7.25
6 x 7.75
7 x 8.25
8 x 9.00

Aside from a million bucks the 3 year option isn't better than the 4th, he still can walk

[sureLoss]

Athletic on Rantanen:

https://theathletic.com/1226274/2019.../?redirected=1

It is understood the Avalanche are seeking a deal from six to eight years with an average annual value (AAV) in the range of $8.4 and $8.75 million, The Athletic has learned.

As for how far apart both sides are? It is also understood if Colorado — which possesses $15.615 million in salary-cap space — was looking to offer $8.5 million and Rantanen was seeking $9.5 million, then, it would be deemed viable. But if Rantanen’s camp were seeking $9.5 million over three years, then, it would be a nonstarter for the Avalanche.

The Avalanche were open to signing Rantanen to a short-term deal in the spring prior to free agency. It is understood that a short-term deal would have allowed the Avalanche to be more opportunistic in free agency with extra cap space. Still, the club’s goal is signing Rantanen to a long-term deal because of what is on the horizon, a source has told The Athletic.

[Flash Walken]

Originally Posted by VilleN

What? So you believe that Tkachuk is as valuable to this team as Iginla was to his team? Tkachuk is anywhere from the 3rd-5th best player on the team. Iginla was #1. His name was synonymous with the Flames. It’s not even remotely close. If Gaudreau held out that would be close to your Iginla comparison- but the teams Iginla played for he wasn’t one of a few comparable players. He was it. As Iginla went, the Flames went.

When the Flames were terrible, yes, as Iginla went so did the flames. But when the Flames were viable contenders, there was more than one guy. When they added Kipper, the team went from a non playoff team with a 50 goal scorer, to a playoff team with a 50 goal scorer. And when Iginla struggled, the Flames had a backstop. During both of their tenures, Kipper was arguably as important as Iginla.

The team makeup is different than when Iginla was here, but Tkachuk is the second best offensive player on the roster. The Flames are absolutely dependent on him to be in contention. If you subtract his 77 points last year or his 30+ goals, where is the team at in the standings? You just don't replace that offensive output with hardwork and backchecking. There's a reason a team with prime monahan and Gaudreau and backlund and Giordano struggled to make the playoffs: alone, they aren't enough.

Nylander is what, the 5th best offensive player on his team? It's not even close to the same thing about who needs who more. The Flames NEED Tkachuk.