{"id":89091,"date":"2025-07-24T16:41:08","date_gmt":"2025-07-24T16:41:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/89091\/"},"modified":"2025-07-24T16:41:08","modified_gmt":"2025-07-24T16:41:08","slug":"the-trade-that-changed-everything-plus-a-slow-offseason-by-the-numbers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/89091\/","title":{"rendered":"The trade that changed everything. Plus: A slow offseason, by the numbers"},"content":{"rendered":"

Red Light newsletter<\/strong>\u00a0\ud83c\udfd2\u00a0| This is\u00a0The Athletic\u2019s hockey newsletter.\u00a0Sign up here<\/a>\u00a0to receive Red Light directly in your inbox.<\/p>\n

Good morning to everyone who\u2019s still following hockey in late July. Let\u2019s look back on the third anniversary of the trade that shifted the balance of power in the league. Let\u2019s get to it.<\/p>\n

The trade that changed everything<\/p>\n

Where were you when the Matthew Tkachuk trade news dropped, three years ago this week? And do you remember your reaction when you heard all the names involved?<\/p>\n

I\u2019ll be honest with you: My first reaction was that\u00a0the Flames had made out like bandits<\/strong>. And I know I\u2019m not alone.<\/p>\n

That view, as the kids like to say, has not aged well. But let\u2019s remember the context \u2013 Tkachuk had just blindsided the Flames with what amounted to a trade demand, flexing his leverage by announcing that he wouldn\u2019t sign an extension in Calgary. That meant Flames GM Brad Treliving had to scramble and, we assumed, take whatever he could get from whichever teams Tkachuk was interested in committing to.<\/p>\n

At the time, we had a list of\u00a0seven teams we thought would make sense<\/a>. If you go back and look at that piece now, two things stand out. First, the Panthers aren\u2019t on it because they weren\u2019t viewed as a serious landing spot. And maybe more interestingly, the proposed offers that the piece explores don\u2019t hold a candle to what Florida eventually gave up.<\/p>\n

If anything, the return was jaw-dropping. Tkachuk was coming off a breakthrough season in which he finished eighth in league scoring. But in return for his rights, the Flames got the league\u2019s\u00a0second-leading scorer, Jonathan Huberdeau. That felt like a fairly even swap on its own, but Calgary also got MacKenzie Weegar, a guy on everyone\u2019s list of underrated defensemen, as well as a first-round pick and a prospect.<\/p>\n