Free agency is up and running, folks. And so far, it’s been a doozy.
While the UFAs tend to grab most of the headlines when the market opens due to their ability to sign anywhere, the RFAs are just as interesting this season, with a particularly intriguing crop of them still waiting on shiny new deals as the calendar inches closer to August.
Who will stay and who will go? That’s the question.
So, let’s take a look at the top RFAs still on the board right now and determine where they stand as the dog days are nearly upon us:
Matthew Tkachuk – Calgary Flames
2021-22 Cap Hit: $7,000,000
According to Sportsnet’s Eric Francis, a Tkachuk trade out of Calgary is all but inevitable at this point, with a deal potentially even suspected to take shape by the end of the week.
What gut punch to a Flames fanbase that just experienced its first truly successful season in quite some time.
There has to be more here.
Losing Johnny Gaudreau of course plays a factor in Tkachuk’s desire to find a new home elsewhere. But the Flames are still a very good team even without their high-scoring forward, boasting the likes of Elias Lindholm, Andrew Mangiapane (more on him later), Tyler Toffoli, Blake Coleman, Rasmus Andersson, Noah Hanafin, and a Vezina-nominee goaltender in Jackob Markstrom, among others.
Will Calgary be as good as they were last season now that Gaudreau is gone? Probably not. At least, not the runaway division winner they were in 2021-22. But even without Johnny Hockey, the Flames remain a very solid team with a good blueline, a franchise starter in net, and a forward corps of which Tkachuk could now become the unquestioned leader.
No, it must be something else.
Perhaps watching Gaudreau leave roughly $16 million on the table and hightail it out of town anyway shattered Tkachuk’s confidence in the Flames organization when it comes to attracting and retaining elite talent. Maybe he just doesn’t like the Stampede. Who knows?
Regardless, if a Tkachuk trade is indeed on its way, the return will be ridiculous, and the bidding war for his services will keep the offseason rumor mill afloat for months.
Patrik Laine – Columbus Blue Jackets
2021-22 Cap Hit: $7,500,000
Laine did not file for salary arbitration on Monday, suggesting that he and the Blue Jackets are getting close on an extension to keep the Finnish sniper in Columbus.
And why would he want to go anywhere else, frankly?
The Blue Jackets just shocked the hockey world by…
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