Calgary Flames make a HUGE mistake and will make Matthew Tkachuk a UFA early!

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Ryan
July 19, 2022 (12:19)

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We are only a few days into free agency and it's been a difficult offseason for the Calgary Flames and their fans.. First they lose their star player to the Columbus Blue Jackets and now they are trying everything in their power to hang onto their other star power forward in Matthew Tkachuk.

Tkachuk is the best player on the Flames and if they lose Tkachuk, the team will definitely need to start over and rebuild. They believed they were a cup contender this past season and went all in at the deadline, only to lose in 5 games to the Edmonton Oilers in round 2.

Matthew Tkachuk is currently an RFA and has been a little resistant to sign a deal with the Flames, but he did not file for arbitration, but the Flames pulled off a rare move and filed for Team Elected Arbitration.

The Flames have filed for club-elected salary arbitration with Matthew Tkachuk. This provides us the opportunity to continue to work with his representatives towards a contractual resolution while removing the possibility of an offer sheet.

The Flames have filed for club-elected salary arbitration with Matthew Tkachuk. This provides us the opportunity to continue to work with his representatives towards a contractual resolution while removing the possibility of an offer sheet.� Calgary Flames (@NHLFlames) July 18, 2022

So if people are a little confused here, this is what it means. By filing for team elected arbitration, this prevents Tkachuk from signing any offer sheets offered by another team, and it gives the Flames some extra time to negotiate. The issue for the Flames taking this route though is now Matthew Tkachuk can sign a one year deal from the arbitrator and walk right into free agency next year as a UFA.