What Tkachuk-Huberdeau blockbuster trade means for Flames, Panthers

After a few days of relative inactivity, the Calgary Flames and Florida Panthers engineered the blockbuster trade of the summer. Calgary sent Matthew Tkachuk and a conditional fourth-round pick to Florida in exchange for Jonathan Huberdeau, MacKenzie Weegar, Cole Schwindt and a 2025 conditional first-round pick.

Upon being traded, Tkachuk, who failed to reach a long-term pact with the Flames, signed an eight-year contract extension with the Panthers worth $76 million.

Prior to this seismic trade, the Flames were amid a near-catastrophic offseason that saw Johnny Gaudreau walk for nothing, electing to sign a seven-year contract with the Columbus Blue Jackets on July 13. This deal changes everything.

Tkachuk for Huberdeau straight-up would be considered a tie in my opinion — perhaps a slight advantage in Florida’s favour, as Tkachuk is four years younger than his counterpart. But the Flames also received a genuine top-caliber defenceman in Weegar, who has somehow operated as the league’s most underrated player for the past two seasons.

Huberdeau and Weegar allow the Flames to recoup two players who can contribute to their win-now direction, but the long-term view of this trade may be contingent upon whether the Flames can sign their new stars to long-term deals, as they’re both slated to become unrestricted free agents in 2023. Both players are coming off the best seasons of their careers — Huberdeau finished second in league scoring with 115 points, while Weegar recorded eight goals and 44 points, playing over 23 minutes per game.

Playing on a contract that pays him just a shade under $6 million for the 2022-23 campaign, Huberdeau’s deal as currently constructed — much like Weegar’s — is one of the best values in the league. That will change soon and the Flames will be expected to pay north of the $10 million mark, especially if Huberdeau replicates his career season. He’s an elite playmaker in the prime of his career and it squares up perfectly for…