Suddenly there’s excitement and hope in a city that was running out of it. We worked through it and I think we’re both happy with how the results came.”Īs beloved as Tkachuk has been in Calgary, the four-piece haul Treliving landed for Tkachuk Friday single-handedly turned the woe-is-me narrative on a dime. He’s one of the most respected GMs in the league for a reason. “We worked together and it was really seamless. “I wanted to make sure I worked with him and not leave them dry. Pretty emotional for me, some of the most emotions I’ve had. “Nothing even comes close to rivalling it. “It was the hardest phone call I’ve ever had in this sport at any level,” said Tkachuk, 24. The call to Brad Treliving, as one can imagine, was emotional. Tkachuk celebrates after scoring against the Edmonton Oilers.
“I hope people can respect me for that, and for trying to help them out as much as they tried to help me out in this process, because I feel working together really did benefit both of us.” It’s like ripping a bandaid off right away. There was no second-guessing it or delaying it. I knew pretty recently it was time for a change. I tried to be in the community as much as possible. I’m sad I’m leaving so many great people in the city and the organization. “I’m sitting here, very emotional about my time there in Calgary,” said Tkachuk, who will travel to Florida Sunday for his introductory press conference Monday. So he acted fast, initiating a phone call he deemed the toughest of his life, informing the man who drafted him sixth overall he would not sign an extension.įive days later he became a Florida Panther with a sign-and-trade deal that will pay him $76 million over eight years. The possibilities were endless for the 104-point superstar, who knew he could write his own ticket almost anywhere he wanted. It was then the grass seemed greener, the beach seemed sandier, the air seemed warmer, and the state taxes seemed, well, non-existent. “I didn’t know what my decision was going to be until that talking period. At the end of the day, I wanted to re-evaluate where I’m at, and after talking to a few teams I did that, and kind of came down to that conclusion. “I put myself in a position with the last deal I signed to kind of reevaluate my life and my career at this stage, and I kind of came to the conclusion after the RFA period (July 13) it was time to look elsewhere,” he explained of the decision that rocked Calgary. However, in his first interview since being traded, Tkachuk told Sportsnet.ca Saturday that when he put his signature on his three-year bridge deal in 2019, he always knew there was a chance at its conclusion it would be time to leave. No, he wasn’t counting down the days, dreaming of the day he could return to the U.S.Īs a Calgary Flame, he poured his heart and soul into a job, a team, and a city he adored. CALGARY - Matthew Tkachuk's decision to leave Calgary was three years in the making.
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