It's been a few days since Calgary Flames winger Matthew Tkachuk shocked the hockey world and revealed that he did not wish to re-up in Calgary on a long-term deal, essentially signifying the end of his days as a Flame.
There have been a few list of potential landing spots being circulated on social media, one of which was debunked by Sportsnet's Eric Francis, and the other coming from The Athletic's Hailey Salvian, who believes that Tkachuk's top potential suitors are (in no specific order); St. Louis, Nashville, Dallas, Long Island, New Jersey, Detroit and Vegas. Even beyond those 7 cities, I'd imagine there are 24 other interested parties.
One thing that was not yet known was the potential asking price from the Calgary Flames in exchange for Tkachuk. Well, thanks to Detroit Hockey Now's Kevin Allen, we have our answer.
So, having taken that in, that likely means (from a Leafs perspective) the package for Tkachuk from the Leafs would be something like William Nylander, Matthew Knies and a 1st round pick. I know people are going to say "just swap Robertson or Niemela out for Knies", but that's not what the ask is from Calgary's perspective. The ask is a "premium" prospect, not just any high-end prospect. For the Leafs, that's Matthew Knies.
A hefty price tag for sure, especially for a player who could simply walk away as a free agent next summer. I'd imagine that any deal for Tkachuk that is giving up that type of a package will want some assurances that Tkachuk will sign a contract extension. Otherwise, I'd imagine that a large number of teams may bow out of the race, the Leafs included.
