Flames GM Brad Treliving definitely made good on his infamous quote
On July 13th the opening day of free agency, the landscape for the Calgary Flames changed drastically, as superstar winger Johnny Gaudreau signed with the Columbus Blue Jackets. A little over a week later the Flames were dealt their second blow of the summer when they were forced to trade 24-year-old Matthew Tkachuk, after being informed Tkachuk wouldn't be re-signing long term with the team.
GM Brad Treliving was certainly painted into a bit of a corner after losing his two top forwards, Treliving didn't buckle. He didn't roll over, give up and commit to a rebuild. Instead, he said:
"You can crawl into the fetal position and suck on your thumb or you can deal with it. We're gonna deal with it."
It wasn't long until they dealt with it, pulling off the first sign-and-trade in NHL history and netting a substantial return for his efforts.
Obtaining Jonathan Huberdeau, MacKenzie Weegar, Cole Schwindt AND a lottery protected first round pick in the 2025 NHL Draft for Matthew Tkachuk and a conditional 4th round pick certainly helped fans see a light at the end of the tunnel. Dealing with it is an understatement. Brad Treliving made out like a bandit, when you consider the position he was in.
Huberdeau will instantly slot into a first line role and the Flames' top power play unit. Weegar will be in the top-four for sure, most likely playing alongside Rasmus Andersson. Cole Schwindt may not be in the line up right away, but adding him into the prospect pipeline is great for the Flames. The first round pick is the icing on the cake, it's great for Flames fans that Treliving chose not to crawl into that aforementioned fetal position in this case.
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