Detroit Hockey Now’s Kevin Allen considers whether the Red Wings might be able to afford the asking price for Calgary Flames forward Matthew Tkachuk, and Allen does not believe that the Red Wings are the favorite for Tkachuk by any stretch of the imagination:
First, what we are hearing is that the Flames will want a top forward, a premium prospect and a first-round pick. The Flames will be looking for players like Lucas Raymond or Edvinsson, maybe Elmer Soderblom, etc.
Calgary once acquired a young Jarome Iginla for Joe Nieuwendyk and they will be trying to replicate that deal. Yzerman is not likely to part with Raymond and Edvinsson.
Second, those who like the idea of moving Tyler Bertuzzi in a trade for Tkachuk have to consider that the Flames aren’t going to be interested in another player with a chance to be a UFA next summer. Second, Bertuzzi’s unvaccinated status could cause even more problems if he is on a Canadian team. Of course that is all dependent upon what Canada’s vaccination rules will be in 2022-23. We simply don’t know what those will be. But the Flames, having lost Gaudreau and now Tkachuk, will be looking for players with term on their contract.
Also, Tkachuk has the leverage here because most teams will want to sign him long-term. We don’t know know how he feels about Detroit. Would he want to be part of a rebuild? He is only 24. Tkachuk knows Michigan because he played two seasons for the U.S. National Team Development Program. He knows Larkin. That’s a plus.
Tkachuk is also probably going to want a long-term contract in the $9-10 million range. Remember, he is a restricted free agent so the acquiring team needs cap space for him this season. Depending upon who goes back in the deal, the Red Wings could suddenly be pushed up against the salary cap. Detroit Hockey Now projects the Red Wings will have about $7.5 million in cap space at the start of the season.
Continued; put bluntly, I can think of the minimum asking price for Tkachuk to be Bertuzzi, Edvinsson and a first round pick, if not all of that plus another second round pick.
I am certain that the Flames would ask for Raymond, Larkin or Seider, and I am certain that the GM would say, “No.”
And no, as The Athletic’s Max Bultman noted on Twitter today, because Tkachuk filed for salary arbitration, he can’t accept an offer sheet. The Flames earned the ability to protect their asset by Tkachuk’s arbitration filing.
