It has now been two years to the day when the Calgary Flames and Florida Panthers broke the hockey universe with one of the biggest trades of the salary cap era. As we know all too well now, the Flames sent superstar forward Matthew Tkachuk and a fourth-round pick in 2025 to the Florida Panthers in exchange for Jonathan Huberdeau, MacKenzie Weegar, Cole Schwindt and a first-round pick in 2025.
The trade has obviously been a massive win for the Panthers as they won the Stanley Cup this season; for the Flames though, well there has been a lot more to be desired. So without further ado, let’s take a deeper look into how this trade has fared for both teams two years later.
Matthew Tkachuk
After coming off a major breakout campaign in 2021–22 for the Flames, Tkachuk made the decision that he did not want to be in Calgary long-term and requested a trade out. That decision was for the better on his end. Since becoming a Panther, Tkachuk has been nothing short of being one of the best players in the league. In 159 regular season games, Tkachuk has amassed 66 goals and 197 points while also having 46 points in 44 playoff games. His offensive output helped the Panthers win their first Stanley Cup in franchise history. He was a Hart Trophy finalist in the 2022–23 season too. Yeah, I’d say he’s been pretty good as a Panther.
The trade at the time was seen as an overpay on the Panthers’ end, as they were betting on Tkachuk’s breakout season to be the norm going forward and not just a one-year-wonder. Well, it certainly paid off for the Panthers as Tkachuk has been arguably the team’s best player since arriving and he changed the entire complexion of the Panthers organization. He has been a difference-maker in every facet of the game, and Bill Zito’s massive swing after being embarrassed by the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2022 has made the Panthers a serious threat for at least the next six years.
Jonathan Huberdeau
Huberdeau was seen as possibly the best player coming back in the trade when it all went down, and it was for good reason. In the 2021–22 season, Huberdeau had a massive year, scoring 115 points was good enough for second overall league-wide and he broke the record for most assists by a left-winger with 85 that season. He was a guy who just produced every season, and the Flames were sure they were getting a true superstar in return for Tkachuk.
Well, about that… Huberdeau has failed to live up to expectations since arriving in Calgary. In 2022–23 he broke another record, but this one was not for the better, as he had the biggest drop off in points from one season to the next, going from 115 points to just 55. Things behind the scenes were not much better as there was plenty of tension between Huberdeau and former head coach Darryl Sutter, it got so bad that the Flames had to fire Sutter before his next contract even kicked in. Not a good first year for the guy you just gave the biggest contract to in your franchise’s history to.
This past year was supposed to be different and many expected a bounce-back from Huberdeau. That simply did not happen. Huberdeau’s point totals dropped once again, only scoring 52 points, having a team-low -29 plus-minus rating and going on an almost month-long pointless streak in December. Like in 2022–23, he was not able to make enough of an impact on a nightly basis to give fans the hope that the Panthers version of Huberdeau would ever return.
It has been a nightmare for both parties since Huberdeau began playing games in a Flames uniform, it has felt like both sides have been miserable, but with Huberdeau having arguably the worst contract in the league, he is virtually unmovable. This is not what any of us expected since the trade was made, we all thought there would be much more, especially with how Tkachuk has performed on the other side.
MacKenzie Weegar
Let’s get a little more positive now. Weegar has been an absolute rockstar since becoming a Flame. He was a rock on the blue line in Florida but with his contract coming up for an extension, the Panthers probably realized they wouldn’t be able to keep him. Enter the Flames.
Weegar signed an eight-year extension with the Flames just before the 2022–23 season opened up (just like Huberdeau) and he did not disappoint. Sure, his counting stats in his first season in Calgary were not all that impressive only scoring four goals and having 31 points, but he was simply an unbelievable defender all year long and he had begun to find his offensive footing in the back half of the season. He was easily one of the most likable players on the team (and still is) and became a fan favourite instantly.
2023–24 would be an even better season for Weegar. He smashed all of his previous career-highs scoring 20 goals and having 52 points on the season along with blocking 200 shots. He became the first player in NHL history to score 20 goals and block 200 shots. He was still the same player on the backend being a fantastic shutdown defenceman, but adding that offensive element to his game made him stand out a lot more on a nightly basis. He was easily the Flames’ best blueliner, and it was not close.
Weegar has been fantastic since coming to Calgary and I feel like he still doesn’t get the love around the league that he deserves. With all of the negativity that has come from this trade in the past two seasons, Weegar has more than held up his side of the bargain. The vibes have been truly immaculate when it comes to Weegar in a Flames jersey.
Cole Schwindt
There is not much to report on Schwindt just yet as he has only played four games for the Flames and has spent the rest of his time in the AHL with the Calgary Wranglers and that is most likely where he will spend most of his time next season.
There may be something there with Schwidnt, but as of right now, his ceiling seems to be a fourth line centre at the NHL level. He is still only 23 years old, so things can change, but it will have to happen fast if the Flames want Schwindt to be an impact player at the NHL level.
Not what anyone expected
When I say that no one expected this trade to go the way it has, I don’t think I am exaggerating even a little bit. The Flames were looked at as major winners of the deal when it happened by many people, especially after locking down both Huberdeau and Weegar to long-term contracts. Meanwhile, there was a general consensus that the Panthers would probably be a worse team after dealing both Huberdeau and Weegar.
Two years later, the Panthers have gone on to two straight Stanley Cup Finals, winning one and being on top of the hockey world with Tkachuk being at the forefront of all of that while the Flames are just beginning a rebuild that will likely take them a while to hopefully become contenders once again.
For Panther fans, July 22nd, 2022 will be looked at as one of the best days in franchise history, while for Flames fans, it may have been the beginning of the end.
Photo by Brett Holmes/Icon Sportswire
