The breakup of Calgary? Another star forward will probably leave the Flames after Gaudreau’s departure!

The Calgary Flames currently have to deal with a very unflattering situation. Recently, the team’s main star Johnny Gaudreau left the team for the Columbus Blue Jackets. And now Matthew Tkachuk is also heading to arbitration.

Just a few days ago Gaudreau announced his departure to Columbus and now another name is on the transfer list, although his transfer is not yet 100%.

Star forward Tkachuk, who had his best NHL season to date this past season, is headed to arbitration, and it’s always a tricky business for clubs there.

The 24-year-old Scottsdale native is currently a protected free agent, but the player still hasn’t agreed to terms on a new contract with the club, so the Flames have taken the dispute to arbitration.

The question is whether Tkachuk even wants to extend his contract. He was given the option of signing a qualifying offer for $9 million or signing a long-term contract. He could have also put his signature on an offer sheet from one of the teams.

However, Tkachuk didn’t do either of those things, so he won’t miss the arbitration. It’s the first time the Flames are resorting to it and a big question mark is currently hanging over whether the two sides can even reach an agreement.

If not, another key player will leave Calgary. The Flames drafted Tkachuk in the first round in 2016, specifically with the sixth overall pick. In terms of individual stats, he had his best season recently, scoring 104 points (42+62) in 82 games in the 2021-22 season.

Overall in the NHL so far, he has played in 431 games in which he has scored 152 goals and assisted on another 230. He has 382 points so far.

Sources: NHL, Elite Prospects, CapFriendly