Flames in desperation mode, force arbitration with Tkachuk to avoid losing him to an offer sheet
After forward Matthew Tkachuk elected to forego his right to file for salary arbitration, the Calgary Flames have chosen to force the process with club-elected salary arbitration, which means that if a deal cannot be reached before the arbitration hearing, the Flames will have no choice but to offer Tkachuk at least one year at $9M - an equal amount to the final year of his actual salary - though it's possible that an arbitrator decides that he may deserve more.
So what can we deduce from this? Well, it's certainly possible that the Flames were worried about the threat of an offer sheet. Now, since the Flames filed for arbitration with Tkachuk, he loses the ability to accept his original qualifying offer or to sign an offer sheet.
What this does do is allow both sides more time to negotiate a deal that works for both the team and the player. Calgary is in a tough spot right now, having just lost their best offensive player in Johnny Gaudreau to free agency. It couldn't have come at a worse time for GM Brad Treliving, who could now be facing the possibility of Tkachuk walking in free agency next summer as well.
I can't imagine a scenario in which the Flames don't just go the route of a rebuild starting this year. Losing arguably your two most important pieces in back to back summers for nothing is absolutely crippling to the organization and may leave Treliving with no other option than to ship Tkachuk off for parts and begin the teardown sooner than later.
| POLL | ||
JUILLET 19 | 361 ANSWERS Flames in desperation mode, force arbitration with Tkachuk to avoid losing him to an offer sheet Will Matthew Tkachuk sign an extension in Calgary after the Flames lost Johnny Gaudreau? | ||
| No | 285 | 78.9 % |
| Yes | 76 | 21.1 % |
| List of polls | ||
