Flames head coach Darryl Sutter throws some major shade at the recently traded Matthew Tkachuk
It was a very strange summer for fans of the Calgary Flames. First, the team lost leading scorer Johnny Gaudreau to Columbus via free agency and received the news that Matthew Tkachuk would not be re-signing long-term in Calgary a short time later. Within a week of the announcement, Tkachuk found himself on his way to Florida with the Flames snagging Jonathan Huberdeau, MacKenzie Weegar, a prospect and a 1st rounder.
Once all that was resolved, the team was still looking to replace some of what was lost in the Matthew Tkachuk deal, as Tkachuk is a world-class agitator who can also put the puck in the net. Enter Nazem Kadri, who inked a 7-year, $49M deal midway through the month of August.
On Thursday, Flames head coach Darryl Sutter was asked about the skill sets of Matthew Tkachuk and Tyler Toffoli, presumably as a way of suggesting that perhaps Toffoli could take on a bit of a larger role in Calgary to help replace some of what was lost in Tkachuk's production. Sutter's response was about as blunt as they come, in true Darryl Sutter fashion, as he appeared to take a bit of a parting shot at Tkachuk.
-Sutter comparing Toffoli to Tkachuk
It doesn't take a genius to figure out that the Flames have moved on from Tkachuk both physically and emotionally. In the end, I suppose you can't really blame Sutter for throwing some shade at a player who didn't want to be there.
