Tkachuk Revealed Why He Wanted Out Of Calgary

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S. Harper
July 25, 2022 (0:30)

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We are still in disbelief after the blockbuster trade Friday night that sent Calgary Flames forward Matthew Tkachuk to the Florida Panthers for Johnathan Huberdeau, Mackenzie Weegar, prospect Cole Schwindt and a first round draft pick

Many Flames fans are still understandably heartbroken over the trade and many our wondering why? Well Tkachuk would reveal that in a exclusive interview with Sportsnet.

As a Calgary Flame, he poured his heart and soul into this team, and a city he Tkachuk seemed to love and was most definitely loved in return.

However, in his first interview since being traded, Tkachuk told Sportsnet.ca Saturday that: "When he put his signature on his three-year bridge deal in 2019, he always knew there was a chance at its conclusion it would be time to leave."

"I put myself in a position with the last deal I signed to kind of reevaluate my life and my career at this stage, and I kind of came to the conclusion after the RFA period July 13 it was time to look elsewhere,» he explained of the decision that rocked Calgary.

"There's a lot that went into it. There's no single reason why I left. At the end of the day, I wanted to re-evaluate where I'm at, and after talking to a few teams I did that, and kind of came down to that conclusion.

«I didn't know what my decision was going to be until that talking period.

«It all changed then.»

It was then the grass seemed greener, on the other side Tkachuk would weigh all the pros and cons and would tell the the flames what he wanted to do and where he wanted to go and Tkachuk five days later became a Florida Panther.

"A whirlwind, to be sure. I'm sitting here, very emotional about my time there in Calgary,' said Tkachuk, who will travel to Florida Sunday for his introductory press conference Monday.

"I'm sad and happy. Very mixed. I'm sad I'm leaving so many great people in the city and the organization.

"I feel like I did it the right way. I played my hardest. I tried to be in the community as much as possible. I knew pretty recently it was time for a change. There was no second-guessing it or delaying it. I told them right away. It's like ripping a bandaid off right away. It's hard.

"I hope people can respect me for that, and for trying to help them out as much as they tried to help me out in this process, because I feel working together really did benefit both of us."

- Matthew Tkachuk

Credit:Sportsnet.ca