NHL.com has the fantasy hockey impact of the trade that sent elite wing Matthew Tkachuk to the Florida Panthers from the Calgary Flames for elite wing Jonathan Huberdeau and valuable defenseman MacKenzie Weegar. For more coverage, visit NHL.com/Fantasy and subscribe to the free “NHL Fantasy on Ice” podcast.
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The Florida Panthers acquired elite wing Matthew Tkachuk from the Calgary Flames and signed him to an eight-year contract; the Flames acquired elite wing Jonathan Huberdeau and valuable defenseman MacKenzie Weegar in exchange. The trade includes two of the NHL’s top 10 point producers from last season in Huberdeau (115; T-2nd) and Tkachuk (104; eighth) and significantly alters the fantasy landscape.
Tkachuk was tied for ninth in goals (42), third in plus/minus (plus-57) and fifth in even-strength points (75) last season with rare power-play coverage (29; T-21) , shots in goal (253; T-22a) and hits (93). He remains a top 10-15 player overall with the Panthers, who scored the most goals per game (4.11) in the NHL last season, and provides a physical dimension to increase their future Cup appeal Stanley.
The acquisition of Huberdeau, who had an NHL-high in points last season and led the League in assists (85), makes up for the loss of elite left winger Johnny Gaudreau (signed with Columbus Blue Jackets) in Calgary earlier this offseason. Although Calgary has now lost two key pieces of its front line and the top power play from last season in Gaudreau and Tkachuk, Huberdeau was tied for third in the NHL in power play points (38) last season and has more points (415 in 368 games). since 2017-18) than Gaudreau (405 in 370) over the past five seasons combined.
While this trade carries long-term risk for Calgary, with Huberdeau and Weegar both potential unrestricted free agents through 2023, the Flames have renewed the appeal of short-term Stanley Cup prospects in the Division Pacific with a more balanced roster than Calgary’s other top contenders. the Edmonton Oilers, Vegas Golden Knights and Los Angeles Kings.
Tkachuk will be ranked slightly ahead of Huberdeau after the switch to a stronger offensive team in Florida, where he will have a chance to play on the front line with elite center Aleksander Barkov. But Huberdeau’s upside is similar on the front line with center Elias Lindholm, who was one of 13 NHL players with at least 40 goals (42) and 40 assists last season. Lindholm, who has renewed fantasy appeal after the Huberdeau trade, was also second in the NHL in plus/minus (plus-61) behind linemate Gaudreau (plus-64) last season.
Weegar, who thrived on the top pairing with Aaron Ekblad over the past two seasons but typically didn’t play on the Panthers’ first power play, gains some fantasy value from this trade. He should now be considered Calgary’s top fantasy defense option in front of Rasmus Andersson and Noah Hanifin and a 15-20 option at the position with likely exposure to Huberdeau, Lindholm and wing Tyler Toffoli in the first round of power Ekblad remains a top-10 fantasy defender in Florida’s still-potent offense, but he loses some value with the departure of Huberdeau and his trusted defense partner Weegar.
Over the past two seasons combined, Weegar ranked third in the NHL in plus/minus (plus-69) and tied for fifth among defensemen in even-strength points (70). Weegar was also tied for 11th among defensemen in shots on goal (203) last season and averaged more than two shots per game (179 in 80 games), adding to his fantastic prowess in the standard leagues.
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NHL.com’s Pete Jensen and Anna Dua contributed to this analysis.